Attack of the Newborns
by Iron Angel 80
Summary: The Cullen’s aren’t the only ones that suspect the serial killings in Seattle aren’t the work of warring gangs. The Winchester brothers are on the case too. Not your typical crossover.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Supernatural belongs to Kripke and the CW, the Brotherhood AU belongs to Ridley C. James and Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Did I miss anyone? No? Okay then.

Prologue

Dean leaned back on the cheap motel bed. "Sammy, tell me you got another job lined up so we can get the hell outta here." He was sick of this po-dunk town. Oregon sucked and he wanted out as fast as the Impala could carry him. They had just finished a hunt where a cursed necklace was possessing people to kill the person they had bought the trinket for. They couldn't find a way to destroy the damn thing and had instead hiked into the middle of evergreen-nowhere and buried it. If some stupid bastard found it and brought it home for his wife and then offs her, Dean was gonna kill him – just on the principal of having to come back to Oregon. But the chances of that happening in the next couple of weeks were slim to none. His deal was coming due fast and he'd be making a one way trip downstairs.

"Well…there is something." Sam muttered, face highlighted by the glow of his laptop screen.

"What-cha got?"

"There's been a string of killings in Seattle recently."

"I saw that on the news last night." Dean stretched. "They think it's some sorta gang war going on." Dean got off the bed and went to stand behind his brother to look at the screen. There was a picture of a cop in front of a podium, and the next picture was of a blackened dumpster. "I don't know Sammy…we don't do people. Humans are fucked up."

"But every one that's been found was killed in a different way."

"Another reason that it's humans that are doing it. Our kind usually have a specific style that they stick to."

"Well how about this?" Sam baited him. "No material evidence found on the scenes or victims. None of them. And the number of crime scenes are nothing compared to the number of missing persons filed in the last three weeks." Sam looked at him smugly. "Plus, cops are famous for withholding information from the public in these kinds of cases."

"So lots of death, lots of missing and no evidence," Dean shrugged. "Sounds awesome, but not necessarily our kind of gig."

"We've looked into less. And since you've made it clear we can't try and break your deal…" Sam sneered with disgust.

"Okay." Dean clapped his hands and interrupted his brother's tirade before he could get a full head of steam up. "Seattle has got to be better than this shit-hole. Grab your crap and let's go."

A/N: Anyone who is not familiar with Ridley's Brotherhood AU should seriously check it out. The girl has a mad imagination and a seriously killer sense of humor. Fortunately, Ridley is kind enough to let the rest of us hacks play with the character's she's developed, like Caleb Reeves, and Joshua Sawyer _*sigh*._ I promise I will return all characters in good condition, if not without a few extra miles tagged onto them. If you aren't familiar with the Brotherhood, don't worry, I only use them in reference. The main thing you need to know about it is that they are an organized circle of hunters. So this fic is a crossover of Supernatural, the Brotherhood AU and Twilight (don't shoot me!) Let me get this out now, that I don't hate any of these characters. None of them. Despite the things that will be thought and said about them, it's not me, it's the character that the POV is in. Everyone still on board? Great. Let's go.


	2. Seattle

Disclaimer: So not mine it's not even funny.

1. Seattle

Dean and Sam sat outside the hospital in the Impala digging through the box of fake ID's. The perma-drizzle that was the Pacific Northwest, was falling on the windshield as Dean sought out the ones he wanted.

"Here Sammy," Dean laughed, tossing a badge on his brother's lap. "You can be this one today."

Sam picked up the leather case and shield, studying the name. "Special Agent Stephen Nicks?" Sam said incredulously. "Dean, are you serious?"

"Dude, I'm Peter Green." Dean smirked proudly.

"I've got to stop letting you pick out the fake names." Sam muttered and shook his head. "These alias's are going to bite us in the ass one of these days."

"No one's even going to know. No one would connect big ole' you with the little front-woman of Fleetwood Mac."

"I notice you didn't pick Lindsey Buckingham for yourself." Sam snapped.

"Do I look like a Lindsey to you?" Dean snapped back at him but it wasn't effective as he was wearing his usual shit-eating grin.

"You couldn't have given me a different name?" Sam was bordering on whining. In truth, Dean had laughed his ass off when ordering his brother's ID and giving him a woman's alias.

"Yeah…because Special Agent Mick Fleetwood wouldn't have raised an eyebrow or two." Dean rolled his eyes. His little brother had no sense of humor.

"What's wrong with normal, common, random names?"

"We don't do normal. Remember?"

"Right." Sam huffed. "Normal's for civilians."

"Damn straight." Dean thumped his brother in the chest with the back of his hand. "Let's go Bitch. That body's not going to walk out here and let us examine her in the parking lot."

The two brothers exited the car and crossed the parking lot of the hospital. The body of the latest victim was temporarily being housed in the hospital morgue due to an overflow of dead bodies in the city lately. This chick had been found last night on the waterfront, jammed underneath a boardwalk. The Winchesters thought it might be linked to their maybe-case due to the girl having no identification and 'no apparent material evidence to link her to an attacker'. So they were going to con their way past the administration with their bogus FBI badges, and take a peek at the mystery girl. They were hoping to spot something in line with their kind of work, a mark or brand or _something_ that screamed supernatural. Something regular cops missed or didn't understand.

They got directions to the hospital morgue from the elderly lady at the front desk. They didn't even have to flash their badges. Apparently, the suits were good enough.

"Down the hall, down the stairs and to the right, Dears." She said softly, pointing to a hallway behind her.

"Thank you Ma'am." Sam nodded.

They walked briskly down the hall. "See man, this is going to be a cakewalk." Dean grinned. "Mmmm. Dude, we should stop for some cake after this."

"We're going to go look at a dead body and you're thinking about going for cake?" Sam scowled at him as he pushed the heavy fire-door to the stairs open.

"Working makes me hungry."

"Breathing makes you hungry."

Dean shrugged in acquiescence. He wasn't going to argue. He had an appetite and he knew it. Plus, with that expiration date hanging over his head, he'd discovered the glories of bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast. Cholesterol scores were for pussies.

Following his younger brother down the stairs, Dean thought to himself that hospitals really needed to invest some money into decorating. He lost track of all the hospitals he'd been in with their cream colored DMV walls, or worse, the awful minty-pastel-make-you-wanna-puke green. This place was just white. White walls, white floor tiles, white railing along the wall so that the infirm had something to hold onto while they tried to make their getaway. Glaring sterile-white everywhere.

They left the stairwell, and turned right. At the end of the hall were two stainless steel swinging doors and a receptionist desk next to them. The pretty little blonde at the counter looked up as their footfalls echoed down the silent corridor. She seemed to perk up and sit up straighter as they approached, a wide smile spreading across her face. Dean smiled in return. _Cakewalk_.

Both brothers flashed their shields in practiced unison before pocketing them again. "Good morning Mrs…" Dean leaned his elbows on the counter and cocked his head to the side to read the name plate on the desk. "Barlow." Dean gave her his trademark smile, the one that was nearly guaranteed to melt the panties off any woman with a heartbeat – and some without – but that was just nasty. In their line of work, nasty was part of the job, but he'd go postal if another necromant started crushing on him. Eww. Just – eww.

"It's _Ms._ Barlow actually," she corrected him, tucking a stray strand of hay colored hair behind her ear and leaning on the counter as well. "But you can call me Kelly." She winked.

Dean caught a tiny smirk cross Sam's face at the shameless flirting before covering it up with his traditional G-Man serious-mask.

"Well, Kelly…I'm Special Agent Green, and this is my partner, Agent Nicks." He jerked his head at Sam direction.

Sam nodded at her. "Ma'am."

Kelly smiled briefly at Sam before turning back to him. _This is too damn easy sometimes_. "And we're here to take a look at the Jane Doe from the waterfront you got in there." Dean nodded at the steel doors.

"So the FBI is getting involved in this now?" She asked.

"We're going to start digging, and hope we find a lead." Dean kept smiling at her to keep her distracted. "Whoever's behind this needs to be brought in off the streets"

"So you might be popping in more often?" She said while trying to keep the hopefulness out of her voice.

"If the body count keeps going up…yeah."

"Well, you two can go in in a few minutes. You just have to sign in and wait for the other man to come out."

Dean took the clipboard from her and scanned the signatures before adding his own fake autograph. _Dr. Carlisle Cullen_. He passed the paper to Sam and asked, "So who's this Dr. Cullen? Is he going to be doing the autopsy?"

"No." She took the clipboard from Sam and gave it a cursory glance before stashing it next to her computer monitor. "The autopsy is going to be performed by Dr. Wu this afternoon. Dr. Cullen is from Forks County Memorial." She leaned closer as if she had to whisper something confidential. Dean obliged. "He's here for a possible identification of the girl's body." She said softly.

"Does he know who she is?" Sam asked.

"Don't know." She shrugged. "He's still in there. Showed up a few minutes before you two did. Said he was here on behalf of a missing girl's family – to spare them of having to see her like that." She glanced at the double doors. "He said the description matched that of the daughter of one of his patients."

Dean nodded. It was nice of the doctor to do that for his patient. No parent should have to stare down at an ugly metal slab and see their kid on it. Just then, one of the steel doors swung open and a white-blonde man emerged. Dean didn't know why, but the hairs on his arm immediately stood on end. He had good instincts, and right now his instincts were screaming at him and he didn't know why.

Dean pulled his badge and Sam followed suit. "Dr. Cullen? Special Agents Green and Nicks. Were you able to identify the girl?" Dean was staring at the man's face. He was handsome, and Dean was secure enough in his masculinity to admit that. Dr. Cullen was young looking, as tall as him, hair so blonde it was nearly white, lean built and pale. Weird pale, like he never saw the sun. But…if he lived in Washington State, he probably never did. He also had the strangest yellow eyes. His best friend Caleb had yellow eyes, but the Doc's were an unreal ochre color. Dean's very nerves were vibrating and he glanced at his brother. Sam had that 'deep in thought' look on his face.

The Doc smiled wanly at them, a bare glimpse showing perfectly even, white teeth. "No. That girl in there is not who I thought she'd be." He turned to Kelly. "Ms. Barlow? Thank you for your help, I'll be going now." Dr. Cullen nodded at the Feds, "Gentlemen."

"Doctor." The Winchester's nodded back as Dr. Cullen turned to make his way back up the corridor. Something about the way he moved bothered Dean. The guy was very graceful. Too graceful. And it bothered him that he would associate the word graceful with another man, but there was no other word for it that he knew. He and Sam exchanged a look that spoke volumes.

"Ms. Barlow?" Sam spoke, pulling her attention away from the Doc's retreating form. Dean felt snubbed. Girl was as bad at ogling as he was. "May we go in now?"

"Certainly. Take as long as you need." She smiled at them.

The brothers pushed their way through the doors. As soon as they swung shut behind them and the cooler air of the room surrounded them, Dean whispered, "Dude! Did that guy get your spidey-sense tingling?"

"Yeah, but I don't know why." Sam shook his head. "Look, let's check out the girl and see if there's anything there."

"Yeah…Okay." He glanced at the steel door, half tempted to go follow the Doctor.

"Dean!" Sam snapped. "One thing at a freakin' time."

"Right. The girl."

There were two metal gurneys in the room covered in white sheets. The one against the nearest wall was an older man who died in the night from a heart attack. It was the second table that held what they were after. Sam lifted back the sheet to reveal the face of a roughly eighteen year old girl. She had short brown hair and a bit of a hooked nose.

The two brothers were skilled in quick assessments of corpses. They didn't like to dawdle in case their cover was blown and they had to book it out of there. Sam pulled the sheet back the rest of the way, showing the rest of her.

The girl was thin, dressed simply in dirty and damp jeans and a t-shirt, with the grey pallor of death stealing any semblance of good looks she might have had in life.

"Dude! Check out her neck!" Dean whistled. Her neck was a mess to say the least. There was a ragged gash across the pale flesh, angry and red and made all the worse for the lack of color in the surrounding skin.

Sam pulled his ball point pen from his pocket and leaned in close to the corpse. Using the pen, he gently lifted a flap of skin, examining the shredded muscles and tendons underneath. "Looks like she was attacked by some sort of animal."

"An animal?" Dean's forehead scrunched. "Like a werewolf?"

"Couldn't be. Her heart is still there, and the moon cycle isn't right." Sam shifted his stance, trying to get a better look.

"Yeah, you're right. And it doesn't explain the body count either. Way too high for one Were, and packs don't go unnoticed. Other hunters would have picked up the trail."

"So what else? Black Dog?"

"Naw. Same reasons. Body count's too high."

Sam swallowed thickly. "Hellhounds?"

Dean shuddered. No wonder Sammy didn't want to bring that one up. Dean shook his head. "If Hellhounds did that, that girl would be ribbons. Besides, we're still dealing with too many deaths, if the others are like her. There's no way Hellhounds were after that many people all in one area at the same time like this."

"Would a demon have done this?" Sam raised a worried eyebrow.

"I wouldn't put _anything_ past those evil sons of bitches. It could be some demonic ritual, or just some black-eyed bitch out for kicks." Dean was thinking of Ruby. He didn't trust her and it killed him that Sam kinda did.

Sam stood up and wiped the pen on a tissue from his pocket before putting the pen away. "So this looks like our kind of case, Bro."

"Definitely. Let's get out of here and start doing some leg work."

Dean covered the ravaged girl back up, and the two left the morgue. Passing Kelly's desk, Dean halted. "Kelly?"

She sat up proudly and smiled. "Yes Agent Green?"

"Tell me something…have you seen that girl's body?"

"No." She shook her head and her smile fell away. "They're keeping everything really hush-hush. They're not even releasing the cause of death. What was it? Gunshot? Stabbing?" She fished.

"I'm afraid we can't say Ma'am." Sam cut in. "Come on Green, we gotta go."

They only made it a few paces when Dean turned around. "Take care of yourself Kelly, and be careful out there. Don't go anywhere alone if you can help it."

"Are you offering to escort me around Agent?" She batted her eyes at him.

Dean smirked. "I've been known to do my civic duty to the fullest extent of my abilities." He winked at her. "But just in case I get tied up in this case, promise me you'll be careful?"

"I will." She whispered.

"Good. See you around Kelly."


	3. Research

Disclaimer: Do I really need to say this? It's kinda painful.

2. Research

Sam had hacked into the Seattle PD's database when they met up back at their motel that evening. More bodies had turned up and they had separated to cover more ground. Sam seemed to hit the motherload – score one more point for Geekboy. Dean had no idea how Sam does the things he does, the only thing Dean could do with that laptop was surf for porn.

"So all of the vics had a ravaged appendage of some sort." Sam glanced up from the screen to his brother who was sitting on the end of one of the beds and was in the middle of meticulously cleaning and oiling the guns. Hunter's Handbook rule number one – make sure your piece is in perfect fucking working order. And the Winchester arsenal was perfectly maintained.

"All of them?" Dean looked up from the weapon in his hand and frowned at his brother. "Even the ones that were burned?"

"Yup. Even the ones that were ripped limb from limb and scattered. All of them had bite marks of some kind."

"So someone, or something, is going to not so great lengths to attack and kill people, and then half-ass the body dump?"

"Looks that way. Whatever is doing this doesn't seem to care about covering their tracks."

"But _what_ is the big question." Dean stressed. This whole thing was too weird, even for them. They had never come across a case with such a high body count as this, except for that demon virus that time in Crater Lake, but that was completely different. It was like a supernatural convention was going on in Seattle complete with an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"And I did a little extra digging when you went back to the morgue this afternoon when they brought in that new body." Sam continued.

Dean shuddered. "Dude was extra crispy."

"Yeah, well I decided to dig into that Doctor from this morning."

"Doctor McCreepy?" Dean's interest piqued. "What'd ya find?"

"Well first, just the usual. Doctor from Anchorage, moves to Smalltown USA, everyone is grateful to have him on staff – talented, pillar of the community, yada, yada." Sam waved a hand flippantly in the air.

"Tell me you found something on the guy better than the kind of porn he likes." Dean sat forward and propped his elbows on his knees.

"Well, I broke into the Forks Sherriff's Department server. Turns out that no one has reported a missing girl in town, matching our vic's description or otherwise."

"So no missing kids in town. Well, how many hospital's can the area have? This Forks Memorial or whatever it was called could serve a really large part of the state if it's a mostly rural landscape."

"I checked that too, and no one matching our girl has been reported missing in the last few months in the entire Olympic Peninsula."

"So if there's no missing girl, why would Dr. Cullen drive all the way to Seattle then?"

"Maybe he wanted to check out the body." Sam added, an insinuating tone in his voice.

Dean looked at his brother's face. "You got a Trump card you're holding Sammy." Dean accused him. "What else did you find?"

"Well…how old did Dr. Cullen look to you?" Sam leaned back in his plastic motel chair.

"I don't know…young. Maybe late twenties at the most. Why? You gonna ask him out?" Dean smirked.

"God, you're an ass." Sam cursed at him. "Doctor Cullen has been at Forks Memorial for almost three years. And he was in Anchorage General for nearly four years before that."

"Which means he was a doctor when he was twenty." Dean surmised. "Dude's Doogie Howser."

"It gets better." Sam continued. "There's no record of him going to medical school in the U.S., and there are no tax records or credit card histories of him prior to Anchorage."

"So Doctor Creeps-Me-The-Hell-Out fell from the sky with some bogus medical degree documents?" Dean asked incredulous.

"Seems that way. I mean, we know how to get fake _anything_, why not this guy?" Sam shrugged.

"Alright, so Dr. Fake-n-stein comes to the morgue to check out the victim. Why?"

"We know there's something not right with him, do you think he may have something to do with all this?"

"It's likely." Dean rubbed his palm over his face. "Dude!" He stood up quickly. "What if the good Doctor is a Shtriga?"

"Fuck!" Sam turned back to his laptop, tapping furiously at the keys. "Just give me a minute…" More rapid tapping and Sam frowning at the screen. "Almost…" he said a minute later. "There!" He said triumphantly, spinning the laptop to show the monitor to his older brother.

"What's this?" Dean walked over to Sam and stood behind him. Sam turned the computer back around and scrolled down the screen.

"This is the personnel files for Anchorage General Hospital." Sam said proudly. "Complete with scanned images of the staff identification cards."

"Which means a picture." Dean grinned.

Sam scrolled through a few more screens before an image of a handsome blonde man filled a part of the screen. "He looks the exact same." Sam concluded.

Dean leaned in and looked at the date under the photo. "Picture was taken six years ago, and he still looks like he's in his late twenties."

"How many creatures don't age?" Sam turned and looked up at his brother behind him.

"Too many in our line of work. Shtriga's definitely don't." Dean stood up and stretched his back. "Sammy, you look deeper into the Doc, I'm gonna go grab us a pizza. I'm starved."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sam flicked his pen across the table, his temper causing his nose to flare and forehead to crease. "I've looked Dean! There is nothing more to find!"

"There has got to be something on this guy!" Dean yelled back, slamming his palm on the table top.

"Look Dean," Sam was pissed. "There's nothing to find. No records of any mass deaths of children in any of the towns the Doc has been in. All of them write the same things about him in his records, talented doctor, gifted surgeon, brilliant diagnostician." Sam ticked off the offensive list on his fingers. "He's better at his job than Doctor House. Even has a sterling bed-side manner." Sam shoved the laptop away in disgust.

"How far back did you go?" Dean paced the floor of the motel. Sam had spent all day in the public library going through its resources and making notes. Apparently, the shifty Doc had changed fake names every couple of years, faked papers, filed taxes under his fake names, which was the real kicker to Dean. What was the point in going to all the trouble of setting up an alias if you paid taxes anyway? Did the monster have a civic conscience? The Doc was good at covering his tracks – it only spoke volumes of what Sam was capable of in the research department. It's too bad the kid never got to be the trial lawyer he wanted to be. He would have steam-rolled his opposition.

"I was able to track him back as far as 1952." Sam rubbed at his eyes. "If he's a Shtriga and he's been around all that time, he would have had to feed. And no kids have died here in Seattle." Sam glared at his older brother, knowing that question was on the tip of his tongue. "I don't think it's him."

"We've got this messed up case, Doc Cullen shows up at the morgue, and you're telling me he's not connected? I don't buy it. There are no such things as coincidences." Dean slammed the plastic chair against the cheap table in frustration. "You can't tell me he's not something!" Dean yelled.

"Dude…I'm not arguing with you there." Sam tried to calm him down but his temper was rising also. "I know there something wrong with this guy. I just don't think he's responsible for what's going on here."

"So, what?" Dean sneered. "He was in the neighborhood and decided to drop in on the local mortuary to see what was shaking?"

"No…But…" Sam trailed off, his forehead creased in thought.

Dean grabbed the chair he just tossed and sat down at the table across from his brother. "But what Sammy?" He asked. "What's rattling in that freak brain of yours?"

"What if…" Sam held up a finger so that Dean wouldn't interrupt him until he was finished speaking. "What if Doc Cullen isn't involved in these killings? What if he's some supernatural-whatever, but he's not doing this and it's something that moved in on his territory?"

"He'd want to check it out." Dean rubbed his jaw. It kind of made sense.

"Right. So Doctor Cullen hears the stories of all the murders being committed in his backyard…" Sam trailed off.

"And doesn't want something stirring up trouble…" Dean added.

"And maybe messing up his low profile." Sam finished, pointed a finger at Dean as if that proved the point.

Dean scrubbed his hand over his face. His head hurt. "But that doesn't help us figure out what's doing the killings here in Seattle, or figure out what the Doc is."

"Maybe he's some sort of demi-god or something." Sam offered.

"Man, I hate demi-gods." Dean ground his teeth together.

"I don't like them either, but as far as we know, Doctor Cullen hasn't harmed anyone. We can't touch him." Sam leaned forward onto the Formica table top, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Dean huffed in frustration. There was so much going on in this case and they didn't have a clear direction with which to start. "So do you want to go to Forks tomorrow and see Doctor Cullen?" Dean offered. "See if we can shake him down and see if anything rattles?"

"You want to go see him, not knowing what he is, and confront him about this stuff?" Sam raised his eyebrows in amazement.

"If you got a better idea, I'd love to hear it." Dean grabbed some napkins off the table, wadded them and tossed them in the waste basket.

"I hate not knowing what we're up against." Sam groaned, letting his head fall back so he could stare at the ceiling.

"We'll just pack a little of everything." Dean smirked. "Some evergreen stakes, silver knife, salt rounds…"

"You want to walk up to this guy holding a shotgun?" Sam laughed.

"We'll take the sawed-off. We'll wear the suits and I'll hide it beneath my overcoat."

"This is crazy." Sam shook his head.

"Crazy's all we got little brother."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hey Damien." Dean spoke into his cell softly. Sammy was in the shower and would be out soon, and then they'd be on the road to Forks. Caleb hadn't answered his phone, and Dean was shunted directly to voicemail. "Just checking in, we're looking into those gang murders in Seattle. There's something fishy going on and me and Sammy are going to do a little digging. We'll keep you posted Dude. Hope your hunt with Ethan and Eli is going okay. Talk to you later."

Dean flipped his phone shut and stood up to load his things into the Impala.


	4. Forks

Disclaimer: Still not mine _*sigh*_.

3. Forks

Sam and Dean flashed their badges at the shocked looking lady behind the reception desk at the Forks County Memorial Hospital. She was absolutely frazzled at the sight, probably never seen a Fed before. Well, she wasn't seeing any now, but that was beside the point.

"Ma'am," Sam said with an authoritative voice. "We're looking to speak to Dr. Cullen. Is he in today?"

"Y-yes." She stammered. "He's the duty doctor today." She pointed down the hall to her left. "First floor, A-Wing. You can't miss it."

Dean glanced at her nametag. "Thank you…Joyce." Both brothers turned down the hall she had indicated. Both were well aware of Joyce watching them.

More sterile-white hallways. It was enough to make Dean want to go out and get a bucket of blue paint or something and run through the halls splattering them. Hell – pink would be better than this never-ending white nightmare. They found the walk-in clinic. Just like Joyce said, they couldn't miss it. It was a waiting room full of orange molded plastic chairs – uncomfortable to sit in for ten minutes, let alone for a couple of hours waiting to see a doctor. There were several people in the awful chairs. Two were women with a couple of young and squirming children in tow. The young mother's were obviously strained trying to keep the kids entertained and quiet while they waited their turn to be seen by the doctor. One patient was a teenager with a make-shift sling around his arm and road rash on his leg. He had a buddy next to him and the two of them were passing a PSP back and forth killing time. And the last couple in the room was an obese old man nest to his obese old wife. The man was wheezing into a red handkerchief while his wife sat knitting next to him. All in all, a typical hospital waiting room. The only difference was, these people who were waiting to see a doctor, were actually in line to sit in a small room with a supernatural creature/deity/monster-_thing_ that may or may not be exceedingly dangerous.

Both boys scanned the room. The waiting room receptionist looked up from behind the glass partition that separated and protected her from the masses of ill and dangerous Fork-onians. Dean and Sam both ignored her, still scoping out the waiting room.

Sam nudged his brother, "Dude," and nodded towards a short hallway off the waiting room. There was Doctor Ageless, speaking quietly to a tall, good looking kid with bronze hair even shaggier than Sam's, and who had his arms wrapped protectively around the waist of a slender girl with long chestnut hair. Both looked high-school aged, and had strained and worried faces.

"They probably just found out he knocked her up." Dean whispered jokingly to his brother. Sam snorted in quiet laughter, but the bronze-haired young man glanced up, and sent a quick glare at them –almost as if he'd heard the insult, which was impossible. Even though the eye contact had only lasted a second, Dean had noticed the young man had yellow eyes, much like that of the Doctor they had come to see. And he was crazy pale too.

_What the hell…_ He thought, confusion and apprehension running through his mind.

It was then that he felt a faint brush against his mind. Had he not experienced the sensation a million times over his lifetime with Caleb, he never would have noticed the feeling. But Damien had been reading his mind since they were kids, and Dean knew when someone was touching his thoughts.

He half turned away from the kid, giving a fake stretch and yawn, mouthing the word '_blocks_' to Sam, while idly scratching his temple. He hoped to hell Sam got the message. Dean instantly put up his own walls, protecting his mind the way they'd been trained to. He wasn't sure who was reading his mind, or how strong they were, but smart money was on the Doctor or the golden-eyed kid he was talking to. Were they a family? Brothers perhaps? Maybe they were shapeshifters, that would explain the non-aging dilemma and the mindreading. Dean could feel the weight of his nine millimeter tucked into the small of his back, hidden from view by the suit jacket. Silver bullets would mess them up pretty quick if it came to a fight. Dean knew Sam was strapping a silver blade on him somewhere, and Sammy was hell's fury in a knife fight. But what about the girl? She looked normal enough, was she one of them? Did she know they weren't human?

Dean looked at Sam and saw that his jaw had a tight set to it. A dead giveaway that he got his brother's warning and had put his blocks up too. The kid and Doctor didn't look at them, just continued on with their discussion, but both hunters were aware that the Doctor knew they were there, and he recognized them from yesterday in the hospital morgue. It was the little things that gave him away. The way his shoulders were tensed, the set of his jaw while he talked to the kids, and the fact that he did not look up and acknowledge them. This was not going how they had hoped.

Dean could feel someone brushing against his mental walls, looking for a way in, but he only sensed one would-be attacker, not more. He decided to test which of the ones down the hallway from them was the mind-snoop, and let a stray thought slip through.

_She ain't bad looking. Wonder if she's legal?_

The kid's lip curled slightly, and he tightened his grip around the girl's waist.

_Yahtzee_. He kept that one behind the wall. Dean let another thought out, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

_Man I hope she's legal, eighteen year olds are always sooo eager to please. They'll try anything_.

The tall kid swallowed thickly, and turned the two of them slightly so he could shield the girl a bit more from Dean's view. Dean laughed to himself. This was kinda fun.

_What an overprotective douchebag. What's going to happen if he lets go of his grip on her? She runs for freedom? What a dick._

Dean actually saw the kid flex his shoulders and stifled a laugh. The doctor and the girl were still speaking, but Doc kept looking at the kid with a practiced neutrality on his face. Were they communicating telepathically? Could they do that?

"Doctor Cullen!" Dean called out forcefully, causing everyone in the waiting room to look up sharply at the commanding voice. He wasn't going to stand here and wait another second while this dude and the weird kid stood there and had a mental tea party. Dean was fairly certain that the girl was human, but he wasn't a hundred percent, so he wanted to get the doctor away from the other two and put the odds a little more in his and Sammy's favor. Dean strode up the short hall towards the trio with Sam not even half a step behind. "Doctor Cullen. Agents Green and Nicks from Seattle Mercy yesterday." The brothers stopped a couple of paces away from the three. Doctor Cullen adopted a friendly open face while the freak-kid narrowed his eyes at the big men in suits. The girl just looked confused and worried as her boyfriend angled her away from them a bit.

_She's even better from this view_. Dean let slip through. Imperceptibly, the boy's eyes narrowed even more.

"Yes. I remember." The Doc said in a friendly voice.

"Sorry to interrupt," he nodded at the young couple, _man I would __ruin__ that girl_. The guy's jaw tightened. "But we have a few questions to ask you. It will only take a minute."

"Certainly Gentleman. How about in here?" He nodded towards an empty examination room. "Edward, Bella, we'll speak later." He gestured for the couple to leave. The kid nodded at the Doc and tightened his arm around the girl's waist to lead her away.

_What? Can't walk on her own?_ The kid glared at him as he passed. _What are you staring at, pussy?_

"Right this way please." Doc Cullen turned and led the way into the exam room and closed the door. Dean felt a little claustrophobic in the small room filled with three tall men. There were only inches between all of them, and while he and Sam were used to close quarters, Dean didn't like being so near the Doc, especially seeing as how they still didn't know what the guy was. Doc Cullen smiled slightly and leaned against the paper covered exam bed with his arms folded across his chest. If it weren't for those freaky yellow eyes and the paleness of the dude, he would never have raised their suspicion. The Doc nodded at the plastic chairs next to the wall for them to sit, which neither brother did.

"So…they looked pretty worried," Dean nodded towards the hallway. "Did they just find out he got one past the goalie?" He tried to keep the smart-assed grin from spreading across his face.

The Doc narrowed his eyes slightly and looked a little insulted. "That was my son and his girlfriend."

"Well congrats Gramps." Dean couldn't stop the grin this time. But the good doctor had looked genuine in his shock at Dean's statement, and Dean surmised that he hadn't heard the insults he was hurling at the pair a few moments ago. Which meant the kid was the mind-fucker and not this guy.

The Doc frowned at Dean, and Dean seeing an opportunity to do some useful digging, said, "Wait. Your son? That kid?" Dean jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "What were you – like ten?"

Doc cleared his throat and stood up a little straighter. "My wife and I were unfortunate in that department. Our children are adopted."

"Adopted? Really?" Sam cut in, pressing for more. "Because you have the same color eyes." Sam shrugged. "Yellow is so uncommon that it's strange to hear that you're not blood related."

"Kid looks like he'll have the same build as you too, Doc." Dean smirked.

Doctor Cullen cleared his throat again and said, "I believe you gentlemen had some questions for me about yesterday?"

_Nice deflect asshole_.

"Yes, the boardwalk victim." Sam offered. "You were there to identify her for a patient of yours?" Doc nodded. "We were just wondering how long your patient's daughter has been missing for." Sam put on his puppy-dog-non-threatening look.

"Almost two weeks now." He answered.

"Really?" Dean bit. "A patient you have in this area?" Cullen gave a short nod. "Cause we did some digging, and turns out that no one in the entire Olympic Peninsula has reported a young girl matching the description of the deceased in at _least_ the last six months." Dean glared at the Doctor, daring him to try something. Dean didn't want to shoot in him in the hospital, but would if he had to.

"It was never reported to the authorities." Doctor Paleface replied.

"Why the hell not?" Sam demanded.

"For personal reasons."

"What kind of personal reasons would keep a family from reporting one of their kids is missing?" Dean shot back.

"She's eighteen and she left home. She was prone to these rebellious streaks and there was nothing they could do to stop her. And when a week passed and she still didn't come home or contact them, they grew worried."

"And they still didn't contact the authorities?" Sam was incredulous.

"They're afraid of the backlash they'd receive for not seeking help sooner." Cullen replied.

"So their kid might be dead somewhere, but they're afraid of what the neighbors might think?" Dean asked in a pissed off voice. He knew the Doc was lying about the runaway girl – but damn if he wasn't a good liar. It was good thing he and Sam were expert bull-shitter's too.

"Their reasons are their own." The Doc said sharply. "I can't presume to know their mindset or speak for them."

"Okay, great." Sam cut in. "Just give us their names and _we'll_ go talk to them."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, gentlemen. It would breach my doctor/patient confidentiality."

"Well, isn't that convenient." Dean sneered.

"I really must be getting back to my patients." The Doc shoved himself away from the exam table. "Gentlemen, if you need to ask me anything further, feel free to call or arrange an appointment."

"Oh, we'll do that." Sam scowled.

Doctor Cullen opened the door for them and ushered them out into the short hallway. Dean turned sharply as soon as the Doc exited behind him. "Just one more thing Doc." Dean held up a finger. "You got kids, right?"

"Several." Was the Doc's terse reply.

_Crap, how many of them were there?_

"Well, if one of them went missing, wouldn't you call the authorities?"

"In a heartbeat. And then I'd tear the State apart looking for them." He had the look of utter honesty on his handsome face and Dean didn't buy it for a second.

"Who are your friends Carlisle?" A man called from the waiting room. Dean and Sam both looked up to see a man walking towards them, 'Chief Swan' stitched into the material of his coat right above his heart.

_Double crap. Local fuzz_.

"These are Special Agents Green and Nicks." The Doc said, clapping both of them lightly on the shoulder. Dean had to force himself not to shudder at the contact. "They had some questions for me but are done now. What are you doing here Charlie?"

"Got a call that you had some _Official_ company. Thought I'd come over and see if I could be of any help."

_Thanks a pant load Joyce_. Dean cursed. Man he hated small towns.

"Well we're done here." Dean offered, needing to get out. "We'll just be on our way and we'll contact you if we need anything further, Doctor Cullen."

"Any way I can be of assistance." Doc nodded.

"I'll see you boys out." Chief Swan offered in a tone that clearly was not as jovial as it was supposed to sound.

Dean certainly didn't want to spend time in the chief's vicinity, but couldn't object without drawing attention. It was silence between the three men as they left the hospital – just their feet clicking against the white tile floor as they walked. They stepped out of the building and into the light drizzle of the parking lot. The police cruiser was parked next to the Impala. _Swell_.

"So what did you boys want to talk to Doctor Cullen about?" Chief Swan asked, turning to face them while still standing on the sidewalk.

"We…aahhh…" Dean stammered, trying to think of what to tell the guy.

"We ran into him yesterday, in Seattle." Sam cut in smoothly. "He thought he could identify one of the bodies that were found the day before, but couldn't."

"Oh. That mess in Seattle is something else." Swan whistled. "Makes a fella glad to live in a safe, small town."

_Safe except for Doctor Freaknasty in there_. Dean thought.

"The thing is Chief," Sam continued. "Doc Cullen says he was there on behalf of a local family whose daughter ran away."

_Good job Sammy. If we go down we can take the Doc with us._

"I don't know anything about a runaway kid in the area." Swan frowned.

"Doc Cullen said that they didn't report it, thought the kid would come back." Dean added.

"But I haven't heard anything about it at all. This is a small town, if someone sneezes, everyone knows. Someone would have noticed if the kid wasn't around." Swan insisted.

"They must be very tight-lipped about it." Sam frowned. Keeping up the appearance of looking into a missing kid was the only card they had that would get them out of here without being handcuffed in the back of Chuckles' squad car.

"How old is the kid that Carlisle was supposed to be looking for?" Chief Swan forehead creased in thought.

"The body he was looking at was of an eighteen year old Caucasian female." Sam offered.

"Well that would put her in with my girl's year at school." The chief frowned. "The graduation was just the other day, and I didn't _notice_ anyone was missing…" The Chief chewed his lip in thought. "I'll ask Bella later if anyone missed the last few weeks of school, see if I can't look into this a bit." Chief shook his head. "Missing kids. Terrible."

Something clicked in Dean's brain. "Bella?" He asked, remembering the Doc had called the pretty girl by that name. Small town – how many Bella's could there be? "Does your girl have long dark hair?" Dean asked.

Chief Swan turned his frown full-force on Dean. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing." Dean waved his hands in a placating way. "Just, we saw her talking to Doctor Cullen when we showed up. He called her Bella, just wondering if she was yours. She was real pretty."

"Yeah, that was my Bells." Swan said proudly. "Good thing for her she got a lot of her mother in her." He smiled indulgently, the care and love he had for his daughter was palpable. "You say she was talking with Carlisle? She must have been with Edward."

"The Doc's son?" Sam qualified.

"That's him." The frown was back. Dean stood straighter, now they were getting somewhere.

"What's wrong Chief? Don't like the kid?" Dean baited him.

"No, it's not that. Edward's a good boy, stays out of trouble. It's just…"

"Just what, Charlie?" Sam fished.

"I don't know…" He looked at the far side of the parking lot and chewed his lip some more. "I just think they're too young to be so wrapped up in each other, you know? They're planning on going off to school together in the fall and I just wish she wouldn't grow up so fast. I tried to encourage her to date other boys, but she wouldn't hear of it."

"Kids can be like that." Sam offered, trying to bring the conversation back to more useful dialogue. "So your daughter must spend a lot of time with the Cullen family, what are they like? Good people?"

"Oh definitely. Carlisle's a great doctor, we're lucky to have him. And that wife of his is just the sweetest woman you could ever meet. Bella just loves her. Their other kids I don't know too well except for Alice, and she's just a little angel." The Chief smiled indulgently again. "Why are you asking about Carlisle?" He frowned at the Feds.

"Oh, nothing." Sam waved a hand flippantly, "We're just trying to get an idea of the guy, who his patient would rather go to him about his kid missing, instead of yourself."

Swan squared his shoulders and swallowed thickly. "Well, when I find out who this family is, they won't be too happy to see me standing on their step, let me tell you."

"I don't doubt it Chief." Dean smirked. "We'll be in touch." Dean walked the couple paces to his Chevy.

Chief Swan looked at the beauty appreciatively, letting out a low whistle. "Now that is a beautiful car." He admired. "'69?"

"'67." Dean boasted. "Re-built her myself."

"She is a beaut." He whistled again, while leaning on his open door frame. "It's a wonder the Bureau lets you drive your own vehicle."

"I've got connections." Dean grinned and winked, desperately wanting to get the hell out of there.

"See you around Chief." Sam nodded, opening his door to get in.

"Sure…And boys?" Swan called. Both hunters looked up at him, mid-way to swinging themselves into the Impala's seats. "Next time you want to come and play in my backyard…Professional courtesy dictates you tell me about it first." He gave them a stern look.

"Won't happen again Chief Swan." Sam apologized.

"See that it doesn't."

Both Winchester's shut their doors and buckled up. Chief Swan watched them pull out of the lot before getting into his squad car.

"Dude! That was so close." Dean exclaimed.

"Too close." Sam agreed, loosening the tie from around his neck.

"So what do you make of the mind-fucking?" Dean asked, taking a right hand turn onto the main drag. They needed a place for the night.

"Bit of a surprise. Glad I got my blocks up. Good catch."

"Thanks. Hey – what thoughts were you letting out?" They had been taught to let random harmless thoughts past their defenses while keeping the ones that needed protecting in. It was a way to get around mind-readers without raising suspicions that definite blocks were in place.

"Just normal crap. _Come on Doc, we don't have all day_. That sort of thing." Sam looked at his brother as he gave a quick snort of laughter. "Why? What were you letting out?"

"The girl." Dean answered simply, smirking in memory to the douchebag's expression.

Sam chuckled. "Is that why he as glaring at you? Typical." Sammy shook his head.

"I think it was just the kid doing the mind reading. I don't think the Doc was in on it." Dean stated, pulling off Main Street and into a motel parking lot.

"What do you think they are?" Sam asked, turning in his seat to glance at his brother.

"I'm thinking shapeshifter." Dean said confidently.

"That suits part of it, but not all." Sam argued.

"No aging, mind-reading, and shapeshifter's don't have to kill to survive. They can eat regular food. It's only the whacko's that go on killing sprees." Dean ticked his points off on his fingers.

"But shapeshifters don't assemble into groups. They're solitary creatures. And by the sounds of it, there's a few of them." Sam pointed out.

"Doesn't mean that they _can't_ live together. Living as a family might make it easier for them to blend in."

"I don't know man. I'm still leaning towards demi-gods."

"Okay, look," Dean said. "We'll get some grub, and see if we can't get a little more info on the Cullen's."

"What about Seattle?"

"You said yourself that we don't know what's doing it. I think the Doc does and we just need to lean on him a little." Dean got out of the car and headed for the trunk and his duffel. "Come on, let's go get a room."

A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying this little fic so far. I'm having a blast writing it.


	5. Intel

Disclaimer: If I wish really hard, will they be mine?

4. Intel

Dean and Sam changed out of their G.I. suits and put on their regular clothes. They walked to a small diner across the street looking for something that resembled edible. After ordering his traditional burger and fries, Dean glanced around the diner. It wasn't busy, but there were two young girls a couple of booths away. They were chattering animatedly, the topic drifting out over the low noise of the place, and he could tell it was about them. One girl was trying to ignore the handsome men that had entered the restaurant, but the other one of them kept looking over at the two hunters.

Dean laughed. "Dude. That girl is totally checking you out." He teased.

Sam glanced up out of the corner of his eye. "Dean. She's jailbait."

Dean shrugged. Legal was legal. He glanced over at the girls and a thought hit him. "Hey!" He whispered. "Small town – maybe she goes to school with our lovebirds from this afternoon."

"So?" Sam frowned at him.

"So go over there and talk to her. See if you can get more information out of her about the Addam's Family."

"I'm not going over there!" He hissed.

"Come on Sammy. Take one for the team." Dean winked at him and shot a grin at the girls.

"Bye Lauren." One of the girls called. The girl with straight blonde hair stood up and draped a purse strap over her shoulder. She walked out, leaving the girl with curly brown hair sipping from a coffee cup. The same girl that had been checking out Sam. She looked over again and smiled.

"Dude, there's your chance. Go talk to her."

"I am _not_ going over there." Sam ground out.

"She's still looking at you, dumbass. Go!" Dean hissed, kicking the underside of his brother's bench seat. Sam let out a stifled yelp and jumped as the surprise vibrations passed through the wooden seat and into a sensitive area. "Go!"

"You are such a jerk." Sam muttered, but got up and wandered over to the other table. Sammy smiled at the girl, the overgrown puppy look took her out at the knees, and then Sam was sitting with her and the two were flirting shyly.

The waitress came back a few minutes later. She placed Dean's food in front of him, and scowled at Sam sitting with the young girl. Dean nodded smugly at his brother's back, and the waitress frowned again as she took Sam's food to him. Sam thanked the waitress, took up a triangle of his club sandwich, and pushed the plate towards the girl. She took one of the fries and smiled winningly at Sam as she dipped it in his ketchup. Dean snorted to himself. They were sharing a plate of fries – how cute.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Jessica Stanley was sitting in Minnie's Diner having a coffee with Lauren Mallory. Both girls would be going to school in California in September, and they were going to get an apartment together. Jess was stoked. Freedom. Away from Forks, away from her parents and loads of new guys to check out. It was going to be awesome. They were just trying to hammer out the details of who had what for furniture and household items. Jess's grandmother had a sofa and coffee table in her basement that she could have, and Lauren had a T.V. and stand that her father had given her as a graduation present. Not to be outdone by her ex-husband, Lauren's mother was going to buy them a dining set. Things were looking good for the girls.

The little bell above the door jingled, and out of habit, Jessica looked up to see who had walked in. "Oh. My. God." She breathed. In walked two men who had to be the most gorgeous men on the planet. Male perfection twice over. They were tall, broad, muscled, and they walked with such a powerful presence – demanding her attention. Jessica literally felt her heart skip a beat. She hadn't been so bowled over since the first time she'd seen the Cullen family.

"Whoa." Lauren whispered.

"You can say that again." She watched the two take a seat at a booth several over from their own. "I've never seen _them_ before, and those aren't two you'd forget." She leaned across the table to whisper to her friend.

"I don't know…tourists…or hikers maybe?" Lauren offered.

"Good _lord_ they are good looking." Jess gushed. Lauren was going to great extremes to not look over at the table, but Jessica couldn't help herself. They were just too beautiful to take her eyes off of. As incredible as the older one was, Jess was fixated on the younger, taller of the two. He was just so big, and broad-chested, that the thought of him shirtless nearly had her hyperventilating. Not to mention he had the face of a Greek god. Chiseled cheekbones and tousled hair she just wanted to run her fingers through. _Sigh_.

"Jess," Lauren rolled her eyes. "Stop looking at them."

"I can't help it." She sighed. It was then that the older of the two looked up at her and gave her a cocky grin. Her heart fluttered as she looked into the green eyes of a god. She ducked her head down in embarrassment, but not before seeing him nudge his friend and nod in her direction. He said something to his friend that she couldn't make out, just the low bass rumble of their hushed conversation. They even _sounded_ sexy. "They saw me." She squeaked. She could feel her face getting hot.

"That's what you get for staring." Lauren teased her.

Jess risked another peek and caught the object of her desire flick a glance in her direction. Another green-eyed David. No. These two were better than Michelangelo's David. These two were real, and sitting right there. Jessica had never considered herself as a shy person, at least when boys weren't around. When boys were around she felt self-conscious and awkward. She had secretly fawned over Mike Newton since they were kids, entertained a brief crush on Tyler Crowley, and had lusted after Edward Cullen, well, all the Cullen's really, since they moved here. And she couldn't help thinking that if she had been a bit more daring, she would be on Edward's arm right now and not Bella. That thought made her resolve stiffen. Why should Bella get Prince Charming while she got nothing? Sure, she and Mike had dated a bit, but her and Mike would go nowhere, and come the end of the summer, she'd be in California. Why shouldn't she take a stab at this one? Jessica looked up out of the corner of her eyes and caught the older one glancing at her again. She pointedly flicked her eyes to the back of the younger one's head, and gave a small smile to the older. He grinned back at her and nudged his friend again.

"Jess! What are you doing?" Lauren hissed in shock.

"Flirting."

"You can't do that! They're too old for you."

"The older one is." She agreed.

"The younger one is too, dummy." She hissed.

"He's not that bad." Jess insisted.

"Geez Jess, he's got to be at least twenty-four, if not older. Your mother would flip."

True enough, but mom wasn't here. And big, tall and gorgeous just glanced at her again. She couldn't believe she was doing this! Should she get up and go say hello the handsome stranger? Could she? Her heart was hammering in her chest.

"Jess. Stop it."

"No." She felt empowered all of a sudden. "I'm going to go over there and talk to them."

"You spazzed out on Bella when she went to talk to those guys in Port Angeles a few months ago, and you're just going to eye-fuck these guys you don't know and who are _way_ too old for you?"

"I'm not eye-fucking." Jess rolled her eyes. "Stop being so melodramatic."

"They just looked over here again, Jess." Lauren whispered. "I am not comfortable with this. These guys could be psycho killers for all we know."

"That just makes them more interesting." Jessica sipped her coffee delicately.

"Jess, you're being stupid. They are grown men, we're _kids_." She stressed.

"Well, you might be a kid," Jessica said haughtily, "but I'm a young woman that has a freaking _god_ looking at her."

"I don't want any part of this Jess. I'm leaving." Jessica just stared blandly back at her. "Are you coming?"

"No."

"Fine then." Lauren huffed. "Have it your way." She grabbed her purse off of the floor and glared at her friend, silently begging her to change her mind and leave with her.

"Bye Lauren." She called a little loudly for someone who was only a foot away from her. Lauren stood, slung her purse over her shoulder, and walked stiffly for the door.

Jess glanced over at the other table. The older was watching her with an amused expression on his face. She smiled at him and flicked her eyes at his friend again. Elder seemed to be enjoying himself.

"She's still looking at you, dumbass. Go!" He hissed and there was loud thump. "Go!" The younger got up from his seat and slowly made his way over to her.

_He looks so shy! How can someone that looks like him be shy?_ Her heart melted as his soulful eyes met hers.

"Um…Hi." He stammered. His hands were in the pockets of the brown hoodie he was wearing and he was hunching his shoulders a bit so he didn't tower over her as much.

"Hi." She breathed. She could hardly believe it. He came over to her!

"I'm Sam." He offered. "Do you mind if I sit with you for a bit?"

"Not at all." She smiled as he took the seat Lauren just vacated. She couldn't believe it. And it had been so _easy_! A couple of smiles and he was here asking to sit with her. Why hadn't she done this in High School? All those wasted years. "I'm Jessica, by the way." An unknown emotion flickered across his beautiful face and was instantly gone.

"It's nice to meet you Jessica." He smiled at her.

_Oh god, his lips look sooo soft_.

"I don't remember ever seeing you around here before." She leaned across the table a bit, "where are you from?"

"Oregon." He answered her quickly. "Are you a local?"

"I've lived here all my life."

"It's a nice little town."

"It is if you like nature. But it's not much of a party town." She rolled her eyes.

"That's too bad. I might be staying around here for awhile."

She smiled widely at him, cheered at the news that she might see him around again after this. If he was just passing through, she wouldn't get anywhere with him, she wasn't some skank who put out right away. Although, for him…she might make an exception. She had already given it up to Mike a few weeks ago, and was thoroughly unimpressed by the experience. All those years of expectation and all she got was Mike sweating above her for twenty minutes in the back of his Suburban. It wasn't as if she didn't care about Mike, she'd been crazy for him for years, but the let down she'd suffered took him down several pegs and she stopped writing _Jessica Newton_ on her notebooks. She didn't even tell anyone, which was a big deal for her because she couldn't keep anything to herself.

"Are you thinking of moving here or something?" She tried to keep the hopefulness out of her voice. She wanted to come off as mature, and squealing like a little girl wouldn't achieve that.

"Not exactly. I was looking for an internship for the summer."

The waitress came and put his food in front of him, scowling disdainfully at him while she did it. "Thank-you ma'am." He said softly. He picked up a part of his sandwich and squeezed some ketchup on the side of the plate. "She gave me a funny look…I'm not going to get into trouble for talking to you am I?"

"I'm eighteen. I can talk to whoever I want." She smiled at him, feigning confidence. She thought too late about lying about her age and making herself a little older.

"Eighteen? Really? I thought you were older."

_Did he really?_

"Does that bother you?" _Please say no. Please say no_.

"Should it?" He pushed his plate her way with the tip of his finger. _God, he has big hands_. "I can't stand eating by myself."

She plucked a fry off his plate and couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face as she dipped it in the ketchup. "Eating alone doesn't seem to bother your friend." She nodded her head to the table where the other Adonis was shoveling his burger into his mouth with lustful abandon. As disgusting as it should have been, he still came off as attractive. He could be dressed in Goth and wearing eyeliner and he'd still be sexy.

"Not much bothers my brother." Sam laughed.

_Brother. Well now that makes sense. What part of Mount Olympus do your parents live on?_

"So you and your brother are looking for an internship or something?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No." He laughed. "Not my brother. Just me."

"An internship for what?" Her curiosity was killing her. She had to know more about him.

"Oh…I'm pre-med. I was looking to intern under a doctor for the summer before I head back to Stanford in the fall."

_Pre-med? Stanford? Oh he just keeps getting better and better. Mom would forgive me for him being older if he was going to be a doctor._

"Did you have any luck?"

"Not in Port Angeles where my brother's living. They weren't interested. But I called the hospital here and Doctor Cullen expressed some interest."

"Doctor Cullen?" She raised an eyebrow. If he started working under Doctor Cullen, she'd break her leg just to be treated by both of them. Sam in a white lab coat and scrubs – _beautiful_.

"Yeah," he grinned. "He seemed real nice. Do you know him?"

"He came here a few years ago with his family. I go to school with a couple of his kids. My best friend Bella is dating his son." She offered, exaggerating how close she and Bella were. "They had a big graduation party at their place the other night. It was awesome."

"You've been to their house?"

"A couple of times." She lied. She'd only been there for the first time for the party the other night.

"Could you tell me how to get there? Doc Cullen gave me the address, but I lost the piece of paper. Actually, my brother spit his gum out in it and tossed it in the trash." He sent a glare at his brother's direction. "I'm supposed to go out there later to talk to him some more, and I don't want to call him and tell him I lost the address. It wouldn't make a good impression." He said meekly while looking at her from beneath his eyelashes.

_How can a guy have such long lashes?_

"Sure." She chirped, happy to be able to help him. She still had the map that came with the party invitation in her purse. She took it out and gave it to him. "Here. You take Main Street north out of town, turn right onto route fourteen, and it's about four miles past the little bridge. Be careful though, the driveway's kinda hidden and easy to miss." She pointed to the little 'X' on the map.

"Thanks Jessica." He smiled at her with perfectly white teeth, tucking the map into his pocket.

_You should be on television with a face like that._

"Can you tell me anything about Doctor Cullen? What's he like? I don't want to go out there and not have anything to talk about with him."

She could give him loads of information on the Cullen children, she'd fixated on them long enough, but Doctor Cullen wouldn't be so easy. But she wanted to keep talking to him, just to have an excuse to look at him. Did he even know how hot he was? "Doctor Cullen is really nice. And his wife Esme is really pretty. They have a couple of foster kids and the whole family is really outdoorsy."

"Really?" He perked up. "Like what?"

"Oh, they do a lot of family hiking and camping and stuff. It rains so much here, that every time the weather is nice, the Cullen's disappear for one of their family trips. I tried that on my parents once but they didn't buy it. The school didn't seem to care because the Cullen's all get perfect grades." She was rambling, but she couldn't help it because he was looking at her so intensely.

"How many foster kids do they have? I think I met one earlier…Edward I think." He leaned closer to her and plucked a fry off the plate and chewed the end of it.

She was mesmerized by his lips. She just wanted to lean forward and bite them.

_Down girl_.

"Well, there are three boys and two girls. Emmett is the oldest, and Jasper and Rosalie are twins. They're Mrs. Cullen's niece and nephew, and have been with her since they were small. Then there's Edward, who's dating my friend Bella, and Alice is the youngest."

"Five. Wow. That's a lot of kids to take care of."

"You're telling me. My mom says me and my sister are a handful." She admitted and immediately blushed.

"Aww. Don't be embarrassed. My brother and I aren't saints either." He grinned at her. She felt butterflies in her stomach. He was just so hot when he smiled.

_Those dimples should be outlawed_.

"So what's it like going to school in California? I'm going to Cal-U in the fall." She said to try and impress him. Oakland wasn't too far from Palo Alto…

"Hey Sammy?" The brother called over from the other table. "Look man, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we gotta get going."

"Sure Dean." Sam turned back to her. "Thanks Jessica. You've been a real help. And thanks for the map." He stood up from the table.

"You're staying in Port Angeles right? Maybe we could get together again sometime." She jumped up and blurted out. She mentally kicked herself for being so lame.

"Maybe. Why don't you give me your number?"

She stammered out the number for her new cell phone that had been a graduation gift from her aunt. This way, she didn't run the risk of her mother answering when he called. Port Angeles wasn't too far away, and if he was working with Doctor Cullen, perhaps she could think of a few reasons to run into him up at the hospital.

He programmed the number into his cell. Dean walked up to them and gave her another cocky smirk. "Hi. I'm Dean. Nice to meet you." She almost fell down as the full megawatt force of his grin hit her.

"H-h-hi." She stammered. _Wow_.

"Come on kid. Say goodbye to your cute little friend. We gotta split." Dean winked and nodded at the door.

"Bye Jess." Sam called over his shoulder as they left the restaurant. She sank back down into her seat. Already envisioning the Harlequin style fantasies she and Sam would be playing out in her dreams that night.

_Wow_.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Don't you ever do that to me again." Sam snapped at him as they crossed the street towards their motel. Sam's goofy smile had dropped off his face the second they cleared the side of the diner.

"Do what?" Dean faked an innocent expression.

"Throw me to the sharks like that. That's what."

"She's a little girl – she's hardly a shark. And I gotta say Sammy, you played her like a pro. I almost wanted to stand up and clap when she gave you a map to their house."

"Yeah, well…next time you're the mook."

"But you play that part so much better than me. All sweet and innocently shy you. You had her eating out of the palm of your hand. And off your plate too, dude. Nice work. You probably could have gotten her to break into the school and show you her pompoms if you would have fed her a fry yourself." Dean wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and laughed.

"Never again." Sam threatened.

"You sure you don't want me to sleep out in the car? I don't mind. You and your little friend could use the motel room if you want. It might make you less cranky."

"I'm only cranky because you're a jerk."

"Hey! I resemble that remark." Dean pulled the room key out of his pocket and entered the room. Tossing the key on the table and flipping on the lights, the two brothers immediately started getting ready for nightfall. They would be going out to the Cullen house that evening to do a little surveillance.

A/N: Okay, that part where I wrote in Jessica's point of view came to me out of the dark and I couldn't resist doing it. I'm a Dean girl through and through, but I figured Jessica would be more drawn to Sam and anyone who's read Twilight knows Jessica is a sucker for a pretty face. Not that I wouldn't be if in that same position, so who am I kidding?

And just a quick thanks to those of you who are reading and enjoying this fic – and a big thanks to those who have put this on their alerts and favorites. And as always, constructive reviews make me happy.


	6. Surveillance

Disclaimer: I wish I may, I wish I might? Did it work? They still aren't mine? _Crap_.

5. Surveillance

They found the driveway to the house on their second pass. Jessica hadn't been kidding when she said it was easy to miss. They drove a little further away from town and parked the car on a dirt driveway that had a metal gate across it. The padlock and chain were severely rusted and tall grass was growing up the middle of the track – so it didn't look as if whoever owned the property would be by anytime soon and have them towed for blocking their driveway. Dean backed the car into the drive and parked as close to the gate as possible. Neither hunter wanted the car to be seen from the road by some passing motorist, and have them calling the cops. Chief Swan would know the Impala at once and then they would be in hot water.

They pulled their gear out of the trunk. Like earlier, they were carrying an assortment of weapons apiece. Guns with regular rounds, silver rounds, the sawed-off with the salt rounds, holy water, silver blades, a machete and Dean even grabbed one of the grenades from the strong box. He gave his brother a goofy smirk. He always wanted to blow shit up.

They took off cross country through the woods. Dean had his compass and Sammy had his GPS. Jessica's map showed the house had a nearly three mile long driveway – talk about being out of the way. It was dark and there were a lot of trees and protruding roots so it took a long time to come up to the clearing surrounding the house, plus there was the added concentration of having their mental blocks in place to keep out invaders. Their dad would have kicked their asses for doing this with so little intel, but they didn't have many options. The body count was still rising in Seattle. The lights were on in the house, and they carefully made their way around the clearing. The house was huge, beautiful and had one wall that was nearly entirely made of glass. If it weren't full of a family of monsters it would be perfect. They could see different members of the "family" wandering around through the house. Both brothers had their binoculars plastered to their faces as they watched from the trees.

Carlisle could be seen speaking to a woman, and then wrapping his arms around her in a reassuring embrace. She must be the Doc's wife – Esme. Jessica was right when she'd told Sam that she was really pretty – pretty was an understatement. In fact, all of them were beautiful. There was one in there, a tall and statuesque blonde that Dean would hit on in a second if he didn't know there was something distinctly non-human about her. The only other female that the hunters saw was a tiny little wisp of a girl with spiky black hair.

"If that little one tops four foot ten, I'll eat these binoculars." Dean smirked.

"That one must be Alice, Jessica said she was the youngest."

"What do you figure? Twelve? Thirteen?"

"Not if she's dressed like that." Sam deadpanned. Dean shrugged, he'd seen lots of parents stupid enough to let their little daughters dress like they were twenty-something. These idiots ever hear of pedophiles? _Stupid_.

"Whoa, check them out." Dean whistled. Two men just walked into the living room from another part of the house. One was big and burly, easily as broad as Sam if not as tall. The other was a blonde, rangy in build but for some reason he reminded Dean of a tense and coiled snake.

"Emmett and Jasper." Sam surmised. "Those two look like fighters."

"Yup." Dean panned his field glasses around the living room, not seeing the missing Cullen. "Doesn't look like Eddo's home right now." Dean swept his gaze across the living room again.

"Eewww!" Both brothers exclaimed together. The big one just laid a kiss on the hot blonde chick. Not some peck on the cheek 'hey sis, good to see ya' kiss, but a 'meet me back at my hotel room in ten minutes' kind of kiss.

"I thought they were brother and sister!" Dean gagged.

"They're _posing_ as siblings, doesn't mean they really are." Sam grimaced.

"Still gross."

They heard the sound of a car coming up the drive a minute before the headlights flashed through the tree lined driveway. It was a little silver car, _piece of shit import Volvo,_ Dean thought derisively. The car sped along the gravel drive at a quick pace, pulling into a large garage and disappeared behind the automatic door as it closed behind the car. A minute later, a side door opened and Edward strode across the yard and leapt lightly onto the porch and vanished into the mansion.

"Eddie's back." Dean smirked, looking at his watch. Quarter past eleven. "How much you want to bet his squeeze has a curfew and her daddy threw him out of the house?"

"I don't know, but I didn't like how he was holding onto her in the hospital earlier. Possessive-like."

"Do you think the girl knows what they are?" Dean glanced at his brother.

"It's possible, hell, more than likely she does, but what I don't get is _why_. If she knows what they are, and they're something strange – there's no doubt about that – why is she with them?"

"Maybe they got her brainwashed or something. Maybe she can't help it."

"Like a siren song, or a love potion?" Sam's forehead creased with thought.

"Maybe." Dean chewed his bottom lip. "Everything is connected here somehow Sammy, I just know it. From the killings in Seattle, the missing people, the Cullen's and this Bella chick. They're all mixed up together."

"I'm not arguing with you there, Dean." Sam went back to his surveillance, "But we are no where close to figuring out what's going on." Sam put down his glasses and gave his brother the puppy-dog eyes. "Maybe we should call in some help."

It sounded good. Call in Bobby and Caleb, Mac. Hell – even Josh might come in useful. Jerk's been known to do that from time to time and ever since Gideon and Ian's death, Josh's allegiance was undoubtedly squarely behind the future Triad. But Dean only had a few weeks left. As much as he loved his extended-adopted family, he couldn't take the pitying looks he got from them, and they only helped to feed Sammy's fear. It had been hard enough to convince Damien to go on the hunt in Texas with Ethan and Elijah. It was crucial that Sam and Caleb develop a relationship with the twins as one of them would have to take his place as Guardian of the Triad.

"No." He answered his brother's question. "Not yet anyway. We'll dig some more, at least try and figure out the players. Then maybe we'll call Bobby. He's closest to here and he's smarter than both of us put together… But not yet." Dean could not look at the pain in the older man's eyes as the day of his death drew closer and closer.

Sam nodded, and covered his face with the binoculars again. "Dude," he whispered, nudging his brother's arm. Dean turned his focus on the house. "Look. They're leaving."

The entire family walked out of a patio door and walked out into the darkness towards the river. Once they left the glow of the mansion, they were impossible to see. Dean picked up the night-scopes, the green-lit environment showed the family leaping over a narrow part of the river and running into the forest.

"Where do you think they're going?" Dean asked as he passed the night vision goggles to his brother. Sam took a quick peek and handed them back to him – the Cullen's were already gone.

"Don't know."

"Wanna break in and snoop around?" Dean grinned.

"You read my mind."

"Let's go, bitch."

It didn't take long to enter the house – the patio door the freak-family exited out of was unlocked. They obviously weren't concerned about burglars, but since this place was nearly off the map to even the locals, burglars apparently weren't a problem. The inside of the house was clean and orderly – too much white – but nice inside.

"Dude!" Dean exclaimed. "Check out the size of that flat-screen!" Dean wandered over to the giant TV. "Oh man! They have and X-box 360 _and_ a Playstation3.

"Focus Dean." Sam warned him from the grand piano on a dais.

Dean grumbled. He _was_ focused.

Sam moved to the kitchen so Dean followed him in there. It looked normal. A run of the mill, upscale kitchen. Appliances on the counters, dishes in the cupboards, fruit in a bowl on the table. Dean opened the fridge – it was nearly empty. Just some sodas and a few snack-like things.

Odd.

Dean went and rummaged through the rest of the cupboards and the pantry. The pantry was completely bare. Not even a stale box of cereal or crackers.

"Not much food in the place for a family of seven." Dean let the cupboard door slam shut.

"Why? Are you hungry again?" Sam snarked from where he was kneeling on the floor and peering into the lower cabinets.

"No." Dean rolled his eyes. Like he'd eat anything from this house anyway. "What I mean, is that they are miles from ass-crack nowhere. If they don't eat food in the house…"

"What _do_ they eat." Sam finished for him, pulling his head out of the cabinet and resting on his heels.

"Shape-shifters eat food, just like humans."

"Which probably scratches them off the list of possibles."

"What they do have here is most likely for Bella when she's here."

Sam nodded. "Demi-gods don't eat food, unless it's a sacrifice."

Dean whipped around. "Do you think they're going to sacrifice the Chief's daughter?"

Sam frowned. "I don't know, Dean. It would make sense, but then that would draw a lot of attention to them as Edward and Bella are known to be always together. If she goes missing, a lot of people are going to be asking them questions, and I don't think they'd want that."

"This case keeps getting worse and worse." Dean scrubbed a hand over his stubbled face. "Come on." He gestured to the rest of the house. "Let's check out the rest of the house before the Munster's get home."

The rest of the house was just as normal as the first floor. Bedrooms with clothes neatly hung and put away. Giant closets filled with expensive labels – someone had a serious clothes fetish. There was a giant cross on the wall over the next staircase. That likely crossed off demons. Only the higher echelons of demons could stand Christian symbols for any length of time. Muttering 'Christo' to a basement level minion hurt them enough to reveal themselves. There was a library of sorts, it looked to be the Doc's office and Dean left Sam to look through it as he went up to the third floor.

There was a small bathroom and shower, an office with a giant desk and various building plans and a drafting table – someone liked architecture. Then there was a bedroom. It had gold colored walls, a big bed with roses adorning the cast iron frame. _That means that iron is off the list of weapons_. There was a high end stereo system with a shelf of CD's that nearly took up an entire wall. And on the nightstand next to the bed was a picture of Edward and Bella.

_Eddie's room_.

Dean picked up the picture and studied it. Ed had his arms wrapped around Bella's waist and the two of them were laughing. Whoever took the shot captured the look in their eyes perfectly. They loved each other – pure and simple. It reminded Dean of the picture Sam kept hidden in his wallet. Sam didn't know he knew about the picture, but Dean had seen it once and it haunted him. It was a picture of Sam and Jessica in much the same pose as Edward and Bella, and the look of pure love was just as evident on Sam's face as it was on Edward's. Dean's throat constricted a bit at the thought of Sam's dead girlfriend. Though he'd never told anyone, he'd always felt guilty about the girl's death. If he hadn't talked Sam into leaving with him to find their father, Sam might have been able to save her – keep her safe from the demon. Now Jessica was dead and Sam was pulled back to a life of hunting and vengeance. Though the Yellow-Eyed demon was now dead, Sam now had to deal with the repercussions of Dean's deal. Dean hoped that someday Sam would be able to have the normal life he'd dreamed of with Jess. Or at least as normal as it got for the Winchesters and the Brotherhood. Lots of other hunters had families, and though they were fraught with danger, love and happiness was possible for their kind. He liked to think that if Sammy someday found someone willing to put up with the mess they called life, and he was able to have a couple of kids, then his deal would be worth it. He'd have to talk to Damien soon and tell him to push Sam into going back to school when the time was right.

"Dean?" Sam called from the bottom of the stairs.

Dean shook himself out of his self-pity-party. Replacing the photo back on the nightstand, Dean left the room and strode to the top of the stairs. "You find anything, Sammy?"

"Not even a Playboy. They're the freaking Cleavers. You?"

"Nada." Dean started thumping his way heavily down the stairs. "Let's check out the garage and get out of here."

Dean let out and appreciative whistle when they opened the door into the garage. A Mercedes, a BMW convertible, a Range Rover with roll bars and caked in mud, the Volvo, a yellow Porsche, and a Harley near the wall next to a covered car. Dean walked to the cloth tarp and lifted it back. He let out another whistle.

_An Aston Martin_.

Dean was a James Bond fan and considered the car beautiful, even if it was foreign. These Cullen's certainly liked their ritzy vehicles.

Dean's mind flashed back to the photo of Eddie and Bella. Was she a sacrifice? Would Edward allow her to be killed even though he loved her? What were their plans concerning the girl? And how did it all tie into the trouble in Seattle? Looking at the Volvo, Dean had an epiphany.

"Sammy, give me your cell phone." He had to protect the girl. She was human and it was his job to save the innocent.

Sam gave him a quizzical look but handed over the hunk of plastic and circuitry. "What are you going to do with it?"

Dean grabbed a roll of duct tape from a peg above a work bench, dropped on his back and wiggled his way under the Volvo. His voice floated out to his brother from underneath the car, along with the sound of Dean ripping off a length of tape. "We have to protect the girl. Since she's always with Eddo, we track his ride."

"…And we know where she is." Sam finished. "But what do I do for a phone now?" Sam asked him as Dean shimmied his way out from underneath the import piece of shit.

Dusting his hands off on his jeans, he said, "Just grab the old one of Dad's in the glove compartment."

Sam shrugged. "We should get out of here incase they come back."

"Yeah, it's going to take awhile to get back to the Impala."

They were trudging though the woods when a thought hit him. He'd been thinking how they needed more information on the Cullen's, and they couldn't interview everyone in town without raising suspicion, and they certainly couldn't go near the girl. "I've got an idea!" He exclaimed.

Sam glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow.

"I've still got that listening device I borrowed from Ethan – let's bug the Doc's office!"

"Borrowed?" Sam's forehead creased. "More like you ransacked his car when Caleb was stitching him up."

Dean shrugged – six of one, half dozen of the other. "Point being, we can bug his office and maybe learn more about what's going on."

Sam nodded, his 'deep in thought' expression back in place. "We don't have many other options here Dean…If we don't learn something useful tomorrow, I'm calling in Bobby."

Dean didn't like that Sam was playing the Bobby card, but couldn't really blame him. This case just had too many holes and too many variables. "Okay fine. But I get the whole day."

Sam huffed, peeved at his brother's stubbornness. "Whatever man. We gotta get out of these freaking woods first."

"Yeah, this is bear country too." Dean shuddered. He didn't like bears. He could face supernatural fuglies no problem. But he didn't like killing an animal just because it was an animal that posed a threat to him. It struck him as wrong.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They made it back to the Impala without incident, and were outside the hospital by four am. Overnight security was a joke, and the Winchesters were outside the Doc's office in minutes. Dean knelt and pulled his lock-pick kit from his pocket. Twenty seconds later the two hunters were inside and shut the door behind them. Flashlights drawn, Sam scanned the office for clues while Dean taped the wire and microphone to the underside of a desk drawer.

"Sammy, you wait here while I go back to the car to make sure this sucker's working." Dean slipped out the room and snuck back to the classic Chevy. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed his dad's number, pushing aside the emotions that came along with it. All the times he'd called that number the last year of their dad's life, and the bastard never answered. Sammy answered on the first ring though. Dean could hear the phone ringing in his ear, as well as on the walkie-talkie receiver contraption in his hand.

"Dean, is it working?" Sam's voice hit him double as it came from the phone and the receiver.

"Loud and clear, Sammy. Get out of there."

Dean flipped his phone shut. He was going to figure out what was going on if it was the last thing he did. He winced at the accuracy of that thought. His deadline was fast approaching.

A/N: Okay, just a little note to whoever might be reading this, that as much as I loved Stephenie Meyer's work, I didn't like the fact that she made the vampires all powerful and virtually indestructible. To me, it makes them less sympathetic if the only danger they have to worry about was from other vampires. And I don't like humans being nothing more than lunch on the go. In nature, prey normally has a way to defend itself from the hunter, whether the prey is faster, moves in herds, is camouflaged, or is just plain huge, it can still stand a chance of surviving. In SM's work, there was no chance and I just can't do that in this story, otherwise Sam and Dean are sitting ducks and those two are anything but. So I am going to go halfway between SM's vampires and the vampires of Supernatural. The Cullen's can still sparkle in the sunlight, and not have fangs, and they will still have the extra abilities SM gave them, but they have weaknesses, they can be hurt and killed. They will still be stronger and faster than humans, but not so much so that fighting against them is futile. I am an underdog rooter, and humans are definitely the underdogs in this story, but I will give them a chance. So I hope this change doesn't offend any readers, that certainly isn't my goal here – I'm writing this because I _love_ both of these fandoms. But for this cross-over to work, Sam and Dean need to stand a fighting chance.

A/N 2: I didn't lose anyone yet did I? If you're unfamiliar with The Brotherhood, Ethan and Eli are hunters as well. Caleb (Damien) is friends with the Winchester's and studied under John (Caleb is the third part of the Triad, with Dean and Sam). Joshua is part of the Brotherhood as well and knows witchcraft. There is a tenuous relationship between the boys and Josh, but they are trying to work through it. Josh is loyal to the cause, and is trying to get out from under the shadow of his father (who is a hunter as well, but turned traitor and has essentially been shunned by the Brotherhood). It really is a great little world that Ridley came up with, and you can find her stories here on fanfiction, or at her site, www (dot) thehunterstomb (dot) com.


	7. Eavesdropping

Disclaimer: So sad. It really is. Does it count if I _want_ them to be mine?

6. Eavesdropping

Dean and Sam sat in the Impala on a side street near the hospital. The range on the receiver wasn't that great and if they went too far, it cut out. Dean had his window open halfway despite the drizzle that was falling – Sam had a microwave burrito for lunch that he picked up at the gas station and the aftereffects were killing him. Sam kept snickering now and then and Dean was nearly ready to reach over and cuff him one. The kid was twenty five and still thought farts were funny.

_And _Sam's_ supposed to be the mature one_. Dean thought acerbically.

Sam had been on his laptop for a while earlier, looking into more leads for the murders in Seattle. The death count was rising swiftly – two more bodies discovered and a woman reported missing by her boyfriend. But the laptop's battery had given out over an hour ago, leaving the younger Winchester with nothing to do either.

The Doc had been pretty boring most of the day. A few phone calls, disappeared now and then, came back. He had a few patients come in earlier, Dean had found that amusing. Some kid had come in, embarrassment clear in his voice, and told the Doc that it burned when he peed.

Dean was getting thoroughly bored. Stake-outs weren't his thing on the best of days, and with Sam's huffing in boredom, and the various other sounds Sam was making, made this 'brilliant idea' seem more trouble than it was worth. If the Doc would just start talking in tongues or chanting spells or _something_. But the guy was more vanilla than vanilla.

Doctor Cullen's intercom buzzed.

'_Doctor Cullen?'_

'_Yes Rachel?'_

'_Your wife and daughter are here to see you.'_

'_Thank you Rachel. Send them in please.'_

Dean and Sam instantly sat up straighter and leaned over the receiver.

'_Esme…Alice…what's wrong?'_ Worry crept into the Doc's voice.

'_We were on our way back from Tacoma,' _Esme said_, 'when Alice had a vision.'_

Dean and Sam exchanged looks. Alice had visions? Psychic visions? Like the ones Sam used to get? The ones Caleb still suffers from?

'_What did you see, Alice?'_

'_The Volturi…they've made a decision.'_

"The Volturi?" Dean mouthed. Sam shot a finger up to silence him and leaned back to listen intently to the conversation.

'_What's happening Alice?'_

'_They've decided to send four of their guard here to put a stop to what's happening in Seattle.'_

'_Who are they sending? When will they arrive?' _The Doc sounded scared.

'_Jane and Felix for sure, two others for added muscle.'_

'_Dear God – them coming here.' _

'_I think it will be over before they arrive. You know I can't see it because of our new friends, but I think it will be over.'_

'_I hope so. I don't want to think about what will happen if the guards see the others. Does anyone else know yet?'_

'_No. We came here first, to let you make a decision.'_ Esme must have moved closer to the desk as her soft voice grew louder.

'_Alright. I'll sign out and meet you back at home. Don't tell anyone until I get there and we can have a family meeting.'_

'_That will be a little hard. Edward's home.'_ Esme sounded skeptical. Apparently they couldn't keep their thoughts from the kid.

'_Is Bella there too?'_ Carlisle asked.

'_No. She's at Jake's.'_ Alice sounded slightly relieved and irritated all at the same time.

'_She's safe there. Wait for me at the end of the driveway, you'll be out of your brother's range.'_

The kid had that wide a range? That was useful information.

'_See you back at the house soon, Carlisle.'_ Esme's worried voice filtered through the electronics.

The door clicked shut and several minutes later, after some hurried shuffling, it opened and shut again. Then there was nothing but silence in the office.

Sam looked up from the receiver with a horror stricken face. "The Volturi." He whispered.

"Yeah, what was that? They all sounded scared."

"Don't you remember _any_ of the stories that Pastor Jim used to tell us?" Sam frowned.

"Sam, Pastor Jim was full of stories. What is the Volturi?" Dean hated when Sam remembered things that he didn't.

"Remember? The Volturi were the Kings of the Vampires?" Sam's eyebrows were buried in his hairline as he looked at his brother with disbelief.

Something clicked in Dean's brain. He did remember something like that, had written it off when they were young because their dad had told them that vampires didn't exist anymore – that others had hunted them to extinction. It wasn't until shortly before dad's death that they learned he'd been wrong and vampires were alive and kicking. Well…not alive.

"You mean that old story is _true_?" Dean exclaimed.

"Dude – when is it _ever_ an old story or legend when it comes to us?" Sam tossed a crumpled napkin into a paper bag in disgust.

"So fill me in on the Volturi thing Sam – my memory's got holes." He frowned.

"The Volturi are supposed to be the Kings of the Vampires. They were responsible for upholding Vampiric Law."

"Vampiric Law?" Dean scoffed.

"They had to have laws Dean, otherwise they'd be severely hunted. They were supposed to have an army of vampires loyal to the Kings and they kept all of the vamps in line in order to keep the secret of their existence. They must have been doing a good job, since we all thought they were extinct until a couple of years ago. They'd want to remain a secret society as much as the Brotherhood does."

Dean nodded. It made sense in a sick sort of way.

"Anyway, by the sounds of it, the Volturi Guard is coming to take care of what's going on in Seattle."

"So all those killings and missing people…that's the work of vampires?" Dean didn't want to believe it.

"I guess so." Sam paused for a moment. "I thought about it for a moment at the start of this case, but I didn't think it was plausible. Do you realize how many vamps in a nest it would take to kill that number of people?"

"More than the normal small coven of leeches."

"Exactly. They don't get that large because they fight amongst themselves."

"So where did this bunch come from?"

"No idea. But I guess we know what the Cullens are now."

"Come on Sammy. The Cullens can't be vampires. The Doc is a _doctor_ – a surgeon no less. If he were a vamp he'd drink dry every patient he operated on. Besides, when have you ever seen a vampire with yellow eyes?" Dean snapped.

"Lenore and Eli." Sam snapped back.

"Lenore?" He questioned. Who the hell was Lenore? Then realization hit him. "_Lenore!_" He breathed.

Lenore and Eli had been hunted by Gordon Walker. He and Sam had stumbled onto the case because they'd heard of cattle deaths in the area and suspected ritual cult killings. They met Gordon, and he had filled them in on the vampires – Dean had actually killed one at the saw mill. The vampires had kidnapped Sam, and released him after telling him that they weren't hunting humans, that they were responsible for the cattle deaths. They had let him go in hopes that he would tell other hunters so they wouldn't go after them and they could live in peace. But Gordon had gone after them anyway, and Dean had made a difficult choice in siding with the coven over Gordon. It had been the first time where Dean had been so conflicted by his quest in destroying the supernatural. But seeing Lenore fight her nature when Gordon cut Sam's arm open…She didn't want to be a monster, and was trying to make the best of her situation. And Dean couldn't kill her when she wasn't harming anyone.

"Sammy…they can't be." He whispered.

"If they've been living off animal blood for a long time, their control would be pretty good. It also explains the yellow eyes, the non-aging, the pale skin and the size of their family. Lenore and Eli's clan was large for vampires too. The animal blood must make them less aggressive."

"Okay…" Dean started. "Let's just say the Cullens are vampires and hunt animals instead of people. What about what's happening in Seattle?"

"Well the Cullens would have heard about what was going on there. Carlisle must have gone to the morgue that day to confirm it was the work of vampires. The Cullens haven't hurt anybody that we know of, so they must be trying to defend their territory from the vamps that moved into the area."

"Which means that they probably don't want the Volturi coming to the neighborhood if they are the big bad law enforcement. No one wants '_The Law_' showing up on their doorstep for any reason."

"Especially if Edward and Bella are together. She must know what they are and I don't think that the Volturi would like the fact that she's human. They would see her as a risk."

"Or a snack." Dean rolled his eyes. "Do you think that the Seattle vamps know about Edward and Bella? That they would come after the Cullens for revealing themselves to a human like that?"

"Maybe…But now they have the Guard on them, which has got to be worse than a family of pansy vampires and their human pet." Sam scrubbed his hand over his face in thought and huffed. "Unless the Cullens have enemies…Maybe the Seattle vamps are several covens joining together, and want to take them out."

"But why?"

"They're freaks of the vampire world man." Sam said simply.

Dean slapped the steering wheel in frustration. "This case just keeps getting worse and worse!" He exclaimed. "First, we got mass murders, then we get a family of vegan vampires, then we've got a visit from the vampiric royal army. This fucking blows!"

"Yeah, and who are the '_others_' that Alice mentioned?"

"The ones that are blocking her visions." Dean added. Only in their world could people having visions not be the main focus of a conversation. "I don't like that part either. And why does Doctor Cullen want to hide them from the Volturi? And what will be finished before the Guard arrives? What the fuck is going on around here?"

"Well, they seemed pretty worried about Edward and Bella finding out about Alice's vision. Do you think it could have something to do with them?" Sam leaned his massive frame against the seat back. Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, he adopted what Dean referred to as the 'pensive and brooding Sammy look'.

"It sounded like that to me."

Sam sighed. "What if the Cullens are planning to change Bella without her or Edward knowing about it?"

"But why would they do that?" Dean scowled.

"We've got the Seattle vampires on the warpath, and now the Volturi are coming to investigate. Maybe the Doc thinks that changing her will save her from the others. They can't have a problem about her if she's one of them. Or at least she'll have a better survival rate if they come after her if she's vamped out."

"So why hide it from Edward? Wouldn't Eddie _want_ to change her?" Dean asked skeptically. In his experience, vampires were very selfish creatures and it would fall into line that Edward would want his squeeze to be as dead and immortal as him.

"You saw the way he was holding onto her and the way he was so protective of her… Maybe he really loves her."

Dean snorted in disdain. That wasn't possible. Though Sam made a good point, Dean didn't believe that a vampire was capable of loving a human…But that picture in Edward's room floated to the forefront of his mind. You couldn't fake that look.

"Vampires mate for life." Sam added, trying to hammer his point home.

Dean had a brief image of vampire sex. "Dude, that's just gross." He grimaced.

"But true none the less."

"Then wouldn't he _want_ to change her into one of them? That way she's not a walking, talking all-you-can-eat buffet?" Edward should want to change her into one of them if for no other reason than he wouldn't kill her accidentally if she were one of them.

"Maybe he loves her enough that he doesn't want to do that to her."

"I repeat. This case is all fucked up." Dean was getting thoroughly upset about this one. It was morally offending him that this chick was human and most likely knew the guy she was keeping time with was stone-cold dead and just as likely to rip her throat out as go down on her. Dean shuddered as another mental image slammed into him.

_Eww_.

Dean huffed. "Okay…Let's just assume that the dumb chick is getting tapped by the dead kid. And let's just assume that the Seattle vamps are out for blood because of it, and the Volturi vamps are coming to hand out some vampiric justice…And those are _big_ assumptions…What do we do?"

"We remove her from the equation." Sam looked up suddenly, a ray of hopefulness in his green eyes.

"We _what_?!" Dean's face scrunched up into a mask of incredulity. "You want to _gank_ that kid?"

"No!" Sam shouted angrily. "I mean we get her out of there. Hide her from all of them until we figure out what's going on."

Dean laughed derisively. "You want to kidnap the daughter of the Chief of Police? Sam, have you lost your mind?"

"I think Police Chief Andy is the least of our worries right now." Sam scowled. "I think we need to get that girl out of the situation until it's clear for her to come out. We've got three large groups of vampires coming together, and it's going to be a bloodbath – Quentin Tarantino kind of bloodbath." Sam paused, and Dean didn't like when Sam paused in the middle of a rant. It usually meant he thought of something neither of them were going to like.

"What is it Sammy?" Dean narrowed his eyes at the younger hunter.

"It's just that…there are old legends…I don't know if they're real and it's certainly not well documented…they don't keep the human alive for very long – just a vampire's way of playing with their food really…"

"Spit it out Sam." Dean ground out.

"There are old legends about vampires that take human lovers…"

"And?" Dean pressed, getting annoyed at Sam's reluctance to just come out with it.

"In the legends, the human tends to get a bit brainwashed. Like they can't live without their lover."

"You're kidding me! Like some sort of vampire mind STD?"

"Something like that."

"Fuck!" Dean slapped the steering wheel in agitation. Like they needed anything else added to the misery of this case.

_Fucking vampires! _

His mind jumped to another image that he wished he could burn from his retina.

_Eww_.

"We gotta get that girl out of there. If she's brainwashed, we can't blame her own stupidity on her." Dean snarled.

A/N: Like I said before, I don't hate any of these characters. I just think that Sam and Dean wouldn't be too keen on the Cullens or Bella's relationship to them.

A/N2: Who caught SPN on Thursday? Dirty up that Angel, Dean!!! I laughed so hard at the look on Cas' face – priceless.


	8. Bella's

Disclaimer: Still not mine but my dream lives on.

7. Bella's

It was easy to find out where Police Chief Swan lived. The phone book just had a number, not a street address, but the brothers were resourceful – Smalltown USA was easy pickings for the likes of the Winchesters. Dean had set Sammy on an elderly woman at the park who was sitting on a bench with a little Pomeranian at her ankles. He had wandered agitatedly back and forth in front of her a couple of times, and the kindly woman had asked him what was wrong. Dean had to chuckle about it, old ladies were suckers when it came to Sam. More than once an old lady had pinched his cheek and told him what a 'darling' he was. The story Sam had fabricated was that he was passing through, had taken his dog, Dean, to the park for a walk, and the damn thing ran off on him. He'd looked for an hour, but couldn't find the dog, and had gone to the Sherriff's office to file a report about the runaway mutt, and to give him a contact number if Dean was found. But there wasn't anyone at the office, and no one answered the phone. Sam laid into the puppy eyes then and had the grey-hair eating out of his hand.

"I came back to look some more. I just can't go without doing _something_. But it's getting late and I don't know what else to do." Sam sounded absolutely pitiful and Dean tried to bite back his snickers from the driver's seat of the Impala not ten feet away.

"Oh, you poor dear," the lady had fawned. "It's a small town, and if something happens, everyone just calls Charlie at his house. It's in the phonebook, Dear."

"But I want to give him a picture too, so he'll know the dog if he's found."

"Oh…Well Charlie doesn't live too far from here. Just a couple of blocks over and up Maynard Street. You can't miss it if his cruiser is in the yard." The old lady pointed off in a westerly direction.

"Really?" Sam smiled hopefully at her. "I can just go there and talk to him?"

"Of course, Dear." The old lady stood up and patted Sam's hand. Dean nearly lost it in laughter. "Charlie's a good man, been Chief for years. Of course you can go there and ask him for help."

"Thank you Ma'am." Sam patted the old woman's hand in return and smiled at her. "You've been a big help. Thanks."

Sam sprinted back to the car while the old woman watched him go. She had a fond look in her eyes as Sam swung himself into the Impala.

Dean started the engine, and chuckled outright. Sam glared at him, and turned to toss a friendly wave at the elderly woman who'd told them where the Chief lived.

"Dude. What is it with you and old chicks?"

"Just drive dickhead. Chief Swan lives on Maynard Street." Sam cursed at him.

"You sure you don't want to go back and get Angela Lansbury's phone number?"

Sam gave him a withering stare, which only made Dean laugh harder as he put the car in gear and tossed a wave at the old woman himself.

"Jerk. I hate being the mook."

"But when it comes to little girls and old women, you are _sooo_ good at it little brother."

"Jerk."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

They had to pick up some supplies.

There was one Funeral home slash Mortuary in the whole town. They had searched the obituaries in yesterday's local weekly newspaper, and there were funerals to be held tomorrow and the following day. While Sam was in the office distracting the funeral director/mortician, about the interment details of his Great Uncle Herb, who had the later funeral spot, Dean snuck into the basement of the building to where the grisly part of the business was done. Dean didn't relish in what he was about to do, it was just a necessary evil that came with the job.

On a metal gurney and partially covered by a white sheet was Herb Masterson. A large built guy, Herb had been taken out by a heart attack at age sixty-eight. It looked like the mortician had already drained the dead man of his bodily fluids, and there were machines that were pumping a liquid into the corpse. The smell of formaldehyde was thick in the air.

On a metal work table against the wall was what Dean was looking for – a large plastic jug filled with thick red-black liquid.

_Score! Don't have to drain him myself_.

Dead man's blood – the only known poison for a vampire. It wouldn't kill a vamp, and given enough time it would work its way out of their system. But it gave humans a distinct advantage in a fight with the living dead. If the blood of a dead man entered their system, they were overcome by terrible and debilitating pain. They were instantly weakened and unable to defend themselves, giving the hunter the opportunity to cut off their head. Herb's blood was what Dean was after.

He pulled an empty soda bottle from the inside pocket of his jacket and tipped some of the contents of the large jug into it. The coppery metallic scent assaulted his nose and he turned his head slightly to reduce the discomfort. Dean wasn't a squeamish guy, not by a long shot. Give him a shovel and a can of gasoline and any corpse that wasn't resting in peace got fricasseed. But seeing a dead guy on a metal slab like that and being pumped full of chemicals? That would never be him. Another couple of weeks and he'd be ripped to ribbons so bad that draining him wouldn't be necessary. Then there would just be the traditional salt and burn, and that was the funeral of the hunter. No speeches, no hymns or prayers, just a mangled body wrapped in a sheet and laying on a pyre.

Dean righted the jug and twisted the top on the bottle in his hand. He took a deep breath to steady his racing heart and noticed his hands were trembling slightly. He slid the bottle back into the inside pocket of his coat and made a fist to stem the shaking. He pushed the thought of the Hellhounds away. He was not going to go out letting Sam see him quivering and scared shitless. The most he could hope for would be for Sam or one of the others to find a way to get his soul out of the pit so he could move on and find his eternal rest. His Dad had fought his way out of Hell, and so could he.

He snuck back outside and stashed the bottle of blood in the trunk of the Impala. Dean pressed and held the 'One' button on his phone and turned it off after the first ring. It was Sam's signal that he was out and in the clear. He leaned against the side of his car and tilted his face up to meet the drizzle that was falling. Letting the mist wash away the panic attack that was threatening to build, he waited for his brother to come out and worked on putting his game face back on.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They found the Swan house no problem. Old chick was right when she said you couldn't miss it if the cruiser was in. There was also a red, beat up old junker of a truck in the yard. The brothers circled around and parked the Impala around the bend in the road. Luckily, Washington State was more populated with forest than people, and all the houses were surrounded with trees and thick undergrowth. One house couldn't be seen from the next and the classic Chevy was pulled off the road and easily hidden in the dense foliage. Making their way back, they stayed hidden in the woods while they watched the house – trusty machetes leaning against the trunk of the tree beside them. They could see Bella puttering around in the kitchen, probably making supper. They couldn't see the Chief but didn't doubt he was home. Eventually, Chief Charlie wandered into the kitchen, and it looked like the two of them sat down to eat. Dean's stomach audibly growled and Sam shook his head at him. A short time later, they watched as Bella stood in front of the kitchen window, seemingly doing the dishes after their meal. Dean was getting thoroughly bored, and wondered at the logic of their plan to kidnap the kid. Vamps could track like a mother fucker, and once one had your scent, they wouldn't give up so easily if they wanted you bad enough.

Dean nudged Sam's arm and whispered, "Dude. Go back to the car and get those scent amulets of Josh's."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean," he huffed, "_Josh_ made those. They probably don't work."

"It's better than nothing, even if they only disguise our scent a little bit, it might give us a bit of a head start."

Their plan was to call in a fake emergency. As soon as Charlie left, the brothers would go into the house and take the girl. They'd gag and blindfold her and hightail it to Bobby's for her to dry out. Vampire intervention was what he'd jokingly called it earlier. If she was brainwashed or if it was a chemical thing that the vamp did to her that was making her want to be his love toy, the Winchester's hoped that a couple of days away from the influence would clear up her system enough for her to get her head back on straight. During her convalescence with Doctor Bobby, the boys would haul-ass back to Forks to see what happened between the Seattle Vampires, the Cullens and the Volturi. If there was any karma to be paid forward for all the lives they'd saved over the years, Dean was hoping that a lot of the bloodsuckers would gank each other, making Dean and Sam's job of clean-up easier.

_Hello Godzilla, have you met Mothra and Rodan?_

It was starting to get darker. The constant cloud cover made evening darkness fall all that much faster. Sam hurried through the short span of woods back to the car and came back minutes later. Sam handed him a small wooden disk threaded onto a thin leather chord. It didn't look like anything special, just a disk cut from a redwood dowel and a small squiggly symbol on both faces. Dean gave it an experimental sniff before pulling it over his head. It just smelled like dry wood to him and he questioned himself on the wisdom of using Josh's knowledge of witchcraft. Granted, Josh knew more about crafting than either he or Sam did, but both brothers had been at the mercy of Josh's 'talents' over the years. But Dean trusted Josh not to purposely screw around with their safety, and Josh had given them the amulets months before for a suspected wampus cat case they'd worked. Turned out to be an actual mountain lion doing the damage, and the boys walked away from the case never even putting the amulets on. They never found out if they worked or not. Josh claimed they neutralized the wearer's scent completely, hiding them from scent driven predators. Dean shrugged to himself, they couldn't hurt.

"Get ready to place the call." Sam whispered.

Dean pulled his cell out of his pocket and flipped it open. He pulled the piece of paper with the Chief's home number out of his pocket and started punching in the numbers when headlights flashed through the trees. Both hunters instinctually withdrew deeper into the growing shadow. A shiny silver Volvo pulled into the driveway and the lights turned off and the motor cut out. Dean instantly put up his mental blocks and flipped the phone shut.

"Shit." He cursed. Of course their luck would be against them. It wouldn't matter if they lured Charlie away if Edward was around. There was no way they were going to get the girl out of there without her possibly getting hurt – not with Eddie there. And it was likely that Eddo would put up a hell of a fight if they stormed in. Dean wasn't afraid of the kid, he just wanted to put off the fight for a more opportune place and time. Charlie's living room wasn't an opportune place. They didn't want Charlie's to look like the scene of a murder-kidnapping. They just wanted to get the girl out without a trace.

Edward climbed out of the car and headed up to the front door. Charlie answered when he knocked, and allowed the bloodsucker into his home. There wasn't a doubt in Dean's mind that Charlie and the rest of the residents of Forks were clueless about the vampires in their midst. The Cullens did a great job of fitting in, letting their oddness add to their 'mystery'. Dean had been in more po-dunk towns in his life than he cared to remember, and nothing was more of a novelty in a small town than a new and 'different' family. He'd been that 'different' family all his life.

The door closed behind Edward and Sam let out the breath he'd been holding. "What do we do now? We can't get her out with him there."

"We'll wait until later. I doubt Eddie is allowed to spend the night. When he leaves, we'll make the call and go in and get her."

An idea hit him, and he started creeping out of the woods.

"Dean!" Sam hissed from behind him. "What are you doing?"

"That cell phone we taped to the car has got to be near dead by now. I'm gonna go switch it out with mine." Dean slunk further another couple of feet. "Watch my back." He whispered without turning around to make sure his brother heard him.

Edward was parked behind the red monstrosity, with the cruiser next to the truck. The cruiser offered a little bit of cover from the front windows of the house. He dropped down on the damp ground next to the passenger side door of Edward's car, using the Volvo as further cover. He peeked up through the windows of the silver car to see if anyone was near the windows of the house when he caught a flash of red light from inside the car. He chanced a glance in and saw a tiny silver cell attached to a charger in the cigarette lighter.

_Yahtzee_.

Dean had a better plan now. If he got the number for Edward's phone, they could track him wherever he went, and they wouldn't have to worry about coming back to his car to change out their own cell phones. And if he went somewhere without his car, he'd likely have his phone on him. Dean peeked out through the Volvo's window again. No one there.

He plucked his lock picking kit from his pocket and went to work on the Volvo's door, hoping to hell the kid didn't have an alarm kit installed. He felt the lock spring free, and looked back to where his brother was hiding in the woods. Dean couldn't see Sam, but knew he was there, just out of sight.

Dean lifted the handle of the door, ready to run for it if an alarm went off. He gingerly cracked the door open and let out a sigh of relief when all remained silent. Dean snaked an arm into the car and snagged the cell, pulling it clear of the charger. Letting the passenger door rest against the frame, Dean dropped back on the ground and flipped the phone open, making note of who the carrier was from the little trademark on the front. He hurriedly pushed in the numbers for his own cell, feeling the plastic vibrate in his jacket. He took a quick glance at his phone to make sure the number appeared on the screen before tucking it back down into his pocket. Checking to make sure no one was in sight, Dean replaced the phone back into the charger, relocked the door and gave it a gentle bump to make sure it was fully closed. Rolling onto his back, he slid under the car to retrieve Sam's cell from where he'd taped it last night.

He peeked out again, ducking back down when he saw Charlie walk past the picture window. He counted to twenty and looked again. The coast was clear. Carefully, he made his way back to where Sam was hiding, handed him his recovered phone, and told his brother about the new way to track Edward.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They stayed hidden in the woods on the peripheral of the house – just watching. Again, Dean was bored stiff on a stakeout. He didn't even have the luxury of watching from the car. They just stood there in the constant drizzle under the forest canopy, waiting for Edward to leave.

Eleven o'clock on the button, and Edward walked out the front door and got in his car. Dean chuckled, "Told you Cuddles had a curfew." Dean watched as Eddie pulled away and raced down the street. As soon as the kid rounded the corner, Dean heard the engine of the Volvo whine as the douchebag floored it.

_Piece of shit import_.

Dean cast his gaze over the house – an upstairs light just came on and it drew his attention. Bella's slim silhouette passed in front of the half open window and disappeared, then another window lit up next to hers.

"She's getting ready for bed." Sam whispered. "We'll wait a few more minutes before making the call." Dean nodded in confirmation. The sooner they got this over with, the better.

It was twenty after eleven. Dean pulled his cell from his pocket and was about to dial Chief Swan's number and wake him up when Sam nudged his shoulder and held a finger to his lips. Pointing to the woods on the other side of the yard, Dean saw what grabbed Sam's attention. Tall and deathly pale, he glowed in the dark like a neon sign.

Edward.

Neither hunter dared make a sound. In the deathly silence of the night, the barest whisper would be heard. In a flash, Edward sprinted across the yard, scaled the side of the house to the second story window and darted inside.

"Holy shit!" Sam hissed. "Did you see that?"

"Bet Charlie doesn't know about Eddie's sleepovers." Dean said with disgust. How could the girl do this to herself? He was a walking, talking corpse and she was doing the nasty with him anyway? It brought a whole new level of grossness into the whole necrophilia thing.

It was only a minute later, and instead of hearing the springs squeaking like he'd expected, he saw Edward climb back out the window and perch on the ledge. He held his hand inside, and a second hand came into view, griping the vamp's hand for support. Edward helped Bella onto the ledge, where she wrapped her arms around his neck and he leapt off the side of the house with her on his back. He landed lightly, like a cat, and with her arms still around his neck, he sprinted for the woods. Edward just broke Bella out.

"Crap!" Dean cursed as the two disappeared into the trees.

"Come on." Sam grabbed his elbow and pulled. "We'll go back to the car and get my laptop. We'll call the phone company and get the GPS turned on so we can track him."

Worry bubbled up from the pit of his stomach. "Fuck Sammy, what if they turn her tonight?"

"We'll find her Dean." Sam said with false confidence. Sam turned and headed back towards the car, Dean following in his wake.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They made it back to the car in complete silence. Sammy was busy booting up his laptop so they could call the cell company and get the GPS turned on. There was a message on his phone when he powered it back on – that was standard procedure now when on a stakeout. No one needed to hear "Enter Sandman" at an inopportune moment. He felt a pang at seeing it was from Caleb. He hadn't actually spoken to his friend in days, just phone tag.

'_Deuce! Answer your damn phone once in a while! This gig with Ethan and Eli is a gravy job. We'll be done tomorrow or the next day at the latest. How's that job you and the runt are working on? Find out what's doing it in Seattle yet? Let me know if you guys want a hand when I finish up here. Talk to you later man.' _

The message clicked off and Dean flipped his phone shut. He should call Caleb back and tell him what was going on, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Damien would try to talk him out of going up against such a large coven of vampires with just the two of them. In truth it was a stupid plan to find the girl and kidnap her right from underneath their noses, but he just couldn't _not_ try. If she was brainwashed, and they changed her, that would be on his head. He would take that guilt to the pit with him where it would eat at him for eternity – that he didn't save her because he was scared.

No. He would try to save the girl. He would do what he had to do – he would do his job.

Sam said something but he didn't catch it. "What was that Sammy?"

"I said that at least we know Josh's scent amulets work."

"How do you figure?"

"Edward ran past us barely thirty feet away. He would have smelled us if the amulets didn't work."

_Good job Josh_. He thought acerbically. _You finally got something right_.

Sam tapped at a few more keys on his laptop. "Okay…You're up."

A/N: Is everyone still with me?


	9. The Clearing

Disclaimer: Does anyone else suffer from a case of Kripke-Envy?

8. The Clearing

Dean was a pro at convincing cell companies to turn on their GPS tracking systems. It worked every time. '_Please, my son is diabetic and he hasn't answered his phone in hours. I tried his friends and none of them have seen him. Please, he could be in shock, I have to find him... Of course I don't have the account number! I'm driving around looking for him! The phone number? Yes, it's…_' Dean rattled off the number to the operator. His voice had gone from pleading to angry at just the right moments. He could have been an actor if hunting hadn't claimed him first – a ridiculously good looking and talented actor.

Sammy had logged onto the cell's website and a flashing red dot was blinking at them. Sam brought up the GoogleEarth site and switched it to satellite view, comparing it to the cell phone company's topographical map. Edward was in a clearing in the foothills of the damn mountains.

"How in the hell are we going to get in there?" Dean cursed angrily, taking in the forests surrounding the area on the satellite map.

"Look." Sam said, pointing to a thin line on the screen. "That looks like a dirt road. We can take the Impala as far as we can and we'll just have to hike it the rest of the way."

"I hate hiking."

Sam rolled his eyes at him but there was no other choice. "It's only a couple of miles. Dad used to make us run maneuvers longer than that with a full pack." He tried to persuade him.

Sam was right. John Winchester was a marine through and through and had taught his boys how to survive any environment the continental U.S could offer. He'd leave them on the side of a logging road with a map, a gun and a pack of jerky. Of course, John would make sure that the lunar cycle was right before doing that. Even Old John wouldn't send his kids out there if there was the chance for a werewolf to stumble on them – and he never did it in Wendigo territory – he wasn't insane.

Dean sighed, knowing there was no alternative. "Alright…Let's go get the girl."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They found a trail head. Dean absolutely didn't want to leave his precious car on the side of the road in this isolated area, knowing full well there were bears and cougars and elk, but he didn't have a choice.

They went in fully loaded. Scent amulets, crossbows with silver tipped arrows, the blessed machetes, and the dead man's blood. All of the arrows had been dipped in the blood, and allowed to dry, along with a couple of knives they tucked in their belts. Dean felt a bit like Robin Hood with the quiver strapped across his back, but as cumbersome as the crossbows could be, it felt comforting carrying in something that could bring a vamp to its bloodsucking knees at fifty yards.

Sam had his Blackberry tuned into the cell company's locator screen and they started up the trail. There was still a blinking red dot in the clearing about three miles north of where they were. It was dark once they got under the forest canopy – not like it had been very bright out on the dirt road, but at least they weren't so boxed in back there. The only good thing was that the drizzle had stopped, but the rain sodden forest floor absorbed all the sounds they made as they walked.

_Finally something going our way._ Dean thought scathingly.

It was difficult hiking in the dark through the thick forest. The path was little more than a deer trail, but it went in the right direction. They had to be careful. The protruding roots from the trees attacked their boots as their feet fell on the carpet of fallen pine needles. There was the soft hollow thump as they walked. It was a sound Dean associated with the woods, the way footsteps were absorbed by the thin soil – more tree roots than dirt – and the shock waves were eaten up by the forest. He didn't like the woods – never would – but he was as at home here as anywhere else. John made sure of that. It was also exhausting to constantly keep his blocks up. Doing it for a short time was relatively easy and necessary on occasion, but Edward had a range that far exceeded anyone else he'd ever met and it was mentally draining to concentrate for so long.

He glanced over his shoulder to look at his brother a couple of steps behind him. Sam had his 'determined' face on. His blocks were in place too.

On and on they walked, steadily getting higher and higher in elevation. The Rocky foothills would be considered mountains in themselves in some parts of this country. They went as fast as they dared, but silence was their most crucial weapon. If they could take the vampires by surprise, they could shoot them full of dead man's blood, get the girl (if she was even still human) and run like hell. That was the ideal plan. Sam was pretty adamant about not killing them if they could help it as there was no evidence that they had harmed anyone. Dean was skeptical of Sam's bleeding heart when it came to the supernatural, but was inclined to indulge him. Sam's gentle nature was something Dean admired in a weird sort of way – it was what made him Sammy.

Dean kept an eye on his compass, changing to another deer trail when the one they were on veered off to the right and away from the clearing. Sam periodically checked his phone to make sure the blinking dot was still there. Edward – or at least his phone – was still in the clearing, so that was playing in their favor.

A little over an hour after leaving the car, and they were almost there.

_Only another half mile to go_.

They had to go slower now though. The closer they got, the more careful they would need to be. Neither brother wanted to be taken by surprise by one of the vamps. Dean could tell they were nearing the clearing when the trees started to thin and he could catch a glimpse of night sky through the trees.

They crouched low and nearly crawled the rest of the way, taking great care to be silent. They eased up on the clearing, peering out through the ferns on the edge of the woods.

It was large, relatively flat, and had a great view of the mountain range behind it. Off to one end was the coven of vampires. They looked like they were wrestling or something. The females were standing back from the boys rough-housing, along with Carlisle who was laughing at Emmett's attempts to outmaneuver Edward. The mind reading thing was probably a great advantage for the creep, and Dean wondered how he would fare in a fight against someone who could block him mentally. From listening in on Carlisle in his office earlier, it didn't seem like they could keep him out of their thoughts. That would be severely irritating to live with.

They had heard lore that said that certain vampire's had extra abilities. Until now, they had never come across one, and Dean wondered what other skills were in the family other than Edward's mindreading and Alice's visions. He hoped to hell none of them had any telekinesis powers or could shoot laser beams at them out of their ass, or he and Sammy would be screwed.

_Although the tall blond one might be able to paralyze a man in his tracks with a pouty look_.

Dean shook his head. It didn't matter how hot she was – she wasn't human.

Sam tapped his shoulder and pointed at the opposite end of the clearing. Bella was sitting alone on an outcropping of rock, watching the vampires from a distance. It was certainly a relief that she was still human. She wasn't writhing in pain on the ground as the venom burned through her system – so score another point to them that they didn't turn her yet.

Dean made a few short and simple hand motions to Sam, meaning, we go around, we grab her from behind and we get the fuck out of there without them seeing us. Sam nodded and the two hunters started off in the other direction, working their way silently through the underbrush. It was excruciating to move so slowly when all he wanted to do was charge into the clearing, arrows flying and get the girl. But he couldn't risk her getting hurt, and that was likely to happen if they did it that way.

They had to stop part way. Dean held his breath as Alice danced her way up the outcropping to sit with Bella. The two were laughing although Bella's sounded a bit forced. Now that they were closer, Dean could see the worry marring Bella's pretty face. Alice pranced off to join the others, and Bella's frown returned as she watched the tiny vampire launch herself at Jasper's back. Alice leapt off, seemed to taunt the rangy vampire, and succeeded in evading Jasper's attempts to grab her. Alice laughed a tinkling bell-like laugh the whole time.

It was really creepy to watch.

Dean and Sam started to work their way around the clearing again. The vamps were too involved in what they were doing, and it looked too much like the grappling that John had made him and Sam do while they were kids. It was supposed to make them better fighters, and as Sam got older, Dean had to get more creative so that his little brother wouldn't whoop his ass. Damien would never let him live _that_ humiliation down. But watching the vampires do the exact same thing on the other end of the field sent an ice cold shiver down his spine. It was like they were preparing for something – and that was a scary thought. Were the Cullens preparing for a rumble after all? Who would be the target – the Seattle bunch or the Volturi? Both?

Sam tapped him on the shoulder to get him moving again. He hadn't realized he'd stopped to watch the vampires.

They finally came up behind Bella's outcropping of rocks. The Cullens were still preoccupied and not paying attention to the brunette. There was about twenty feet of clear space between the rocks and the trees, so the boys were careful to use the rocks between them and the vamps as cover.

They reached the base of the rocks behind Bella. She was blissfully unaware of their presence. Dean rested his back against the rock, readying himself for the hard part – sneak up on her and grab her without her making a sound to alert the bloodsuckers. Sam was seated next to him, loading a quarrel into the crossbow. Dean loaded his as well and leaned it, along with the quiver, against the rocks next to his brother. His machete was strapped across his back so that he could grab it easily if he needed it. He took a deep breath and looked at Sam, who nodded at him.

This was honestly the stupidest thing they've ever done – and there was a long list of stupid things to compete with this one – and it was now or never.

Dean crept up the side of the rocks. It wasn't high, barely more than seven feet at the back, and it sloped right down to the ground in the front. He used natural notches in the crags to pull himself up. Whoever did this sort of thing for fun obviously never heard of beer and loose women.

His head crested the peak and he peered over the edge – no one was watching.

He pushed himself over the ledge, keeping low to the rock surface. She was several feet from him, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, watching the other end of the field. He could see little white earbuds in her ears and she was tapping her foot slightly. Dean placed each footstep exactly. He didn't want to alert her until he had a hand over her mouth and an arm around her waist.

Her hair was blowing gently in the breeze – Dean could smell her shampoo and fabric softener. He'd stopped breathing again and his heart was pounding as he reached forward. He wrapped his arms around her and clamped a big hand firmly over her mouth. He held her tightly against him, pinning her arms to her sides with his muscled arm. Her brown eyes were wide with shock and fear as she searched his face.

Dean bit down on the wire to the earbud and pulled it free with his teeth so she could hear him. He pressed his lips to her ear and whispered softly, "We're not going to hurt you…we're here to help you."

Her eyes went wider and she was shaking her head frantically, but Dean picked her up effortlessly and vaulted over the side of the rock, dropping down next to Sam. Sam had his crossbow ready, but seeing Dean trying to handle the viciously struggling girl, Sam slung the second bow and quiver across his shoulders and motioned for his brother to get going – he'd cover him.

Holding onto Bella was like trying to hold onto a wildcat. She sure made things difficult for such a little thing. Dean had to physically pick her up off the ground and carry her writhing body towards the trees. He still had a hand over her mouth, but her face was beet red with the screaming she was trying to do. All at once, Bella bit down on his hand and kicked back at his junk. She missed the goods by about an inch, getting him in the upper-inner thigh, but he'd let go of her mouth a bit when he'd reflexively tried to protect his unit.

"EDWARD!" She'd screamed.

A/N: I know, I know…this is a short update _and_ a cliffie but we're getting to the good part now so please don't hate me for stopping here.

Fruitarian…_*snicker*_. I will give it to Sam – he looked good in those scrubs the other night. Did I call that or what?


	10. StandOff

Disclaimer: If they were mine, they'd never have shirts on ;-) _*smiling to myself imagining it*_

9. Stand-Off

"EDWARD!" Bella screamed.

"Fuck!" Dean cursed. The vampires were sprinting across the clearing, and there was no way the brothers could outrun them. Sam tossed Dean his crossbow and the brothers formed a two man wall in front of Bella. "Don't you fucking move!" Dean swore at her.

The entire family was running in their direction – Edward in the lead by several yards. Dean aimed down the bow and pulled the trigger. He heard the snapping sound of Sam's arrow letting loose not a second later. Dean's arrow slammed into Edward's chest at thirty yards out, the impact causing him to half turn before falling to the ground and skidding to a halt in the grass on his side. He clawed at his chest, howling in unbearable pain. Jasper had leapt over his still falling brother, and right into Sam's arrow. Jasper, too, crumpled to the ground, trying to crawl and unable to. The carbon-composite quarrel protruding from his stomach prevented him from crawling, so he tried to pull himself along the grass on his side, desperate to reach his brother. They were only a few yards apart, but with the agony they were in, there may as well have been a mile between them. Sam was loading another arrow while Dean pulled his knife from his waist and threw it at Emmett. His aim was slightly off due to the quickly disappearing distance, and it sunk into Emmett's leg mid-thigh. The big, burly vampire stumbled and dropped as the dead man's blood entered his system.

Rosalie let out a shriek of pure rage and went to run past her fallen lover, when Emmett reached up and grabbed her arm, yelling, "Baby! No!" yanking her down and shielding her from Sam's second arrow, which thudded into Emmett's back. It was a testament to Emmett's obvious great strength that he's been able to protect her at all, but he was now suffering from the double effect of the poison.

The entire exchange had lasted all of four seconds.

Esme had grabbed Alice around the waist to keep her from launching herself at the hunters. The tiny vampire looked like a demented little kid as she struggled against her 'mother', hissing and snarling in fury, hurling curses and threats at them. Sam had loaded another arrow, but Dean tossed his crossbow to the ground, pulling his machete from the sheath on his back. He would have liked to keep the bow, but Sam was wearing both quivers and Dean couldn't get another arrow without leaning awkwardly to get it, and risking exposing themselves or Bella.

_Now if Sam were standing on my other side_…He thought, mentally rolling his eyes. _I'd be able to reach them better. But no…Sasquatch has to wear them so they're slung the other way_.

Bella was screaming behind them, calling out for Edward who was clawing at the ground and trying to reach Jasper – who was still trying to drag himself towards Edward. Dean watched as Carlisle skidded to a stop, held his arms up like he was under arrest, and slowly walked closer to them. Dean could see out of the corner of his eye that Sam had the crossbow trained on Carlisle's chest.

"What did you do to them?!" Bella screamed.

The hunters ignored her. "Stop right there Doc." Dean growled, holding the machete aloft in front of him. Carlisle stopped about fifteen yards from the brothers. Esme had managed to stop Alice from struggling, and the two of them stood next to him with their arms up as well. Alice was glaring daggers at them, getting madder and madder by the way her eyebrows were furrowing.

"Let Bella go." Carlisle said calmly.

"Fat chance, Bloodsucker." Dean cursed.

"What did you do to my family?" He asked, still calm.

"Evened the sides up a little." Sam responded.

_Did the Doc not know about dead man's blood? How could you not know your own weaknesses?_

"Who are you?" Doc's eyes narrowed. "_What_ are you?"

Dean saw Rosalie pull the quarrel out of Emmett's back, and then the knife from his thigh. She draped his arm over her shoulders and helped him to stand, struggling under his bulk.

"You stay were we can see you Rosie." Dean commanded.

She glared balefully at him from under Emmett's arm. "Where do you think I'm fucking going?" She bristled. "What did you do to him?" The blond demanded.

Emmett roused a little at the sound of Rosalie's wrath, but he was pretty much out for the count. He was twitching and breathing in great ragged breaths – one leg trailing dead-like behind him as Rosalie dragged him with her.

He ignored her question. "You just stay right where you are." He pointed the machete in her direction.

"What are you?" Carlisle asked again, but Bella was still screaming for Edward and the sound of it was driving him nuts.

"Bella. Shut. Up." Dean ground out, "Or Sammy will plug Alice." Sam re-aligned the crossbow on tiny Alice and Bella actually clapped a hand over her mouth, tears building in her eyes. "That's better."

"Please let her go." Carlisle pleaded. "If you want money, it's yours. Just don't hurt her."

"We're not here to hurt her." Dean growled. "We're here to protect her…To get her away from you fuglies before you get yourselves massacred."

"You can't protect her. Please…Just go…We won't follow." Carlisle took a step closer but Sam tightened his grip on the crossbow and swung it back to the head vamp.

"Don't move Doc." Sam threatened. "You're fast, but not faster than this."

"Please…"

"So what's the deal with the Seattle vamps Doc?" Dean threw at him. "Piss somebody off did ya?" He could see the Doc flinch a little bit but he said nothing. "Well, what about the Volturi, huh? They're coming to town for a little visit aren't they?" Bella gasped from behind him.

_Guess she didn't know about that_.

Dean could see that Jasper had finally made it to Edward, wrapped his hand around the arrow shaft and pulled it free of Edward's chest. He wasn't too worried about those two – the poison would take hours to fully wear off, and he was planning on being long gone by then.

"How do you know these things?" Esme asked.

"You'd be surprised what we know, Lady." Sam replied.

Edward had managed to pull the poisoned arrow out of Jasper's stomach, and the two were leaning heavily on each other as they slowly made their way towards the hunters. Edward's face was a mask of pain and fury, resolutely staring at Bella, still safe behind the brothers. Jasper's face wasn't much different – only he was looking at the hunters, and there was murder in his black eyes.

_We should probably plug him again – just to be sure. Dude has a total quiet rage thing going on._

"Edward?" Bella called, her voice shaking.

"M'okay," he slurred, "Did they hurt you?"

"No. I'm fine."

Edward glared at the brothers as he came level with the rest of his family. Alice ducked under Jasper's arm and tried to help keep him upright. It looked kinda funny because she was so small that the rangy vamp's arm couldn't even drape over her shoulder properly. Edward leaned heavily on his mother's shoulder, hand pressed against his chest wound. Edward's eyes narrowed. "What are you?" He asked through gritted teeth. "What did you do to us?"

"Come on Eddo," Dean taunted. "Can't you just read our minds and find out for yourself?" Edward scowled at them in response.

_It must be a sore spot with him_.

"He can't hear you?" Bella whispered from behind them.

"He hears what we want him to hear." Sam replied tersely.

_Fuck you dickface!_ Dean let out from behind the wall. "Did you hear that, Asshole?" Dean bellowed.

"Loud and clear."

Rosalie held her nose in the air and took a deep breath. "How come we can't smell you?" She demanded.

"Just a little quirk of ours."

Alice was still glowering at them from under Jasper's arm. Her forehead was creased in concentration. Edward looked sharply at her, and she shook her head. They were talking telepathically about something. Was she channeling a vision? The brothers had no idea how her visions worked, or if she could control them.

"You had a scent when you came to see me at the hospital." Carlisle said. "And you were in my home." Dean shrugged non-committedly. They weren't wearing the amulets then, but like he was going to tell the vamps anything that might help them. "Breaking and entering is a crime. So's impersonating a Federal Agent."

"If you want to go throwing stones about alias' and impersonating official professions Doc, go right ahead. Where did you study medicine again? Oh wait…you didn't." Dean threw back.

"I did study medicine."

"Yeah? When? 1850?"

The Doc shrugged. "So I've got a lot of experience."

"Look," Sam interrupted, "if you guys want to go to war with the other vamps, fine. Makes our job a hell of a lot easier. But we're getting her out of here before you all get her killed – or worse." He glared at Edward as he said it.

"What's worse than getting killed?" Bella asked quietly. Dean shot her an incredulous look over his shoulder. "…Oh."

"What are you?" Edward ground out, hand still clutched to the wound in his chest.

"They're hunters." Jasper grunted, trying to stand on his own, but failing. He leaned gratefully against tiny Alice, who still looked like her head was going to explode. He nodded wearily towards Dean's hand where his silver ring resided. "Brotherhood by the looks of it." He swallowed hard, the effort of talking loud enough to be heard was difficult for him. "I thought you guys were all dead."

"Funny, we thought you leeches were extinct too." Dean smiled. _What did Jasper know?_ "Looks like this is just one big happy reunion."

"Never been shot with Dead Man's Blood before…fucking hurts." Jasper wheezed. "There were hunters during the wars in the south. They didn't make it out."

"Did you have a hand in that Spike?" Dean sneered. Jasper was definitely getting another shot of Herb Masterson's O-negative.

"The Volturi took them out – along with the warring tribes. That's what's going to happen here if the Volturi know you're here. They don't like hunters."

"Yeah, well, we don't like them either."

"Please let me go." Bella pleaded from behind him. "The Cullens are good. They don't hurt people – they feed off animals. Victoria's coming after _me_, and you'll get killed if you take me."

"Victoria the one leading the Seattle vampires?" Sam asked, never taking his gaze from the line of vamps in front of him. Finally, they were going to get some answers.

"Yes." She whispered, clearly afraid.

"Why does she want you so bad?" Dean snapped.

"Because I killed her mate." Edward rasped. "Now she's coming after Bella and all of us with an army of newborns she created so she can have her vengeance."

"So that's why the number of missing people is so high in Seattle?" Sam concluded. "She's turning people?"

"Yes." Carlisle nodded. "We want to stop her. We don't want all this bloodshed."

"James, her mate, was going to kill me and the Cullens _saved_ me. Edward sucked James' venom from my hand to keep me from turning." Bella whispered to try to convince the brothers of the Cullens good intentions. "Please, just go. You're not bad men – you can't be, or you wouldn't be here trying to save me in the first place."

Dean turned on Edward. "If you're trying to protect her, why didn't you just put her on a fucking plane out of here, huh?" He snapped.

"I can't run." Bella cried. "Victoria has an army, and she'll tear the town apart to find me. My dad, my friends…they'll all in danger if I run."

"So your seven animal sucking vamps are going to use you as bait or something instead? Against an army? Yeah…That's a great idea." Sam replied hotly. Using people as bait was a sore spot with Sam – courtesy of John Winchester.

"Let us take her." Dean growled. "She'll be safe with us and you can have your royal rumble. If you win, we'll send her back. But if you lose, she won't be here to be snacked on and torn to bits by this Victoria bitch."

_And hopefully she'll come out from whatever brainwashing thing you did to her, you sick fuck_. He let out through his blocks.

Eddie scowled. "I did no such thing, and we won't lose." He insisted.

"Do you have any idea how many vampires are in Seattle?" Sam asked incredulously. "You can't take them all on."

"They are newborns," Jasper coughed, "they are untrained and instinct driven. We will destroy them."

"You're outnumbered nearly three to one!" Sam yelled. "I don't care if how well you fight. You won't be able to protect her if she stays here."

"We're going to have help." Carlisle added.

"Who? The Volturi?" Dean demanded. Those sons of bitches were every bit as bad as the vampires in Seattle. Dean was willing to cut the Cullens some slack because there was no evidence they'd fed on anyone – but the Volturi? Those bitches were charcoal.

"No." Edward grinned a triumphant smile through the pain of the poison. There was a low growl from behind the hunters and Dean felt the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand up. "Our new allies."

_Crap_.

A/N: Heating up isn't it? I hope everyone is enjoying this. Special thanks to all those who have left a review, egging me on. They really do inspire me to do my best and type faster. Thanks – H.


	11. The Wolfpack

Disclaimer: They're on my Birthday list ;-)

10. The Wolfpack

The forest moved less than swiftly as they trod along towards the clearing. They were in no particular hurry, they'd been watching the leeches practice for two nights now. He'd been willing to go and watch by himself, freeing up the others to run patrols or get some much needed shut-eye, but Sam wouldn't hear of it. The guys weren't too impressed by the idea either, so Quil and Embry were going with him to watch his back. Seth was there too. The kid was so stoked about the whole thing, he was trotting along ahead of the rest of them, impatient with their lagging.

_Kid's awful eager to hang with the vampies_. Quil thought.

_Yeah, Leah probably cuffed him too many times when he was little_. Jake thought back.

_I can hear you dipshit_. Leah's voice cut in.

_Oh yeah, forgot you were running tonight_.

_Everyone's running moron. Sam's not granting shore leave till the nasties are toast_.

_If you'd rather join them with the Cullens than run patrols, Leah, be my guest_. Sam butted in.

_Yeah… I think I'd rather give myself an appendectomy… thanks though_.

_They're not that bad guys_. Seth interrupted. _If you'd just give them a chance, you'd see that too_.

_Give them a chance? How are we even related?_ Leah groaned.

_Your mom probably smoked pot and drank everyday while pregnant with him_. Embry quipped.

_After having Leah, can you blame her?_ Quil barked.

_I'm going to tear your furry ass apart Atera_. Leah growled.

_I'd like to see you try princess_.

_Pedophile!_

_Enough!_ Sam's order rumbled through the mind link, stopping the verbal battery between them all. _Jacob, you and the others will continue on with watching the Cullens. And the rest of you will do your jobs_.

_Geez Sam, I can do this without an entourage. I can go by myself_. Jake rolled his eyes.

_You would taunt the mind reader the first chance you got. If he attacks you, you'll be glad your brothers are there to back you up_.

_Believe me Sam, I don't need backup to take out Edward Cullen_.

_Which is why you're not going alone. You would dissolve the treaty, and there would be open war between our kinds_.

_Is that such a bad thing?_ Leah cut back in. She hated the vampires more than the rest of them did sometimes. _I'd love to get my jaws around a piece of that Emmett_.

_I'll be sure to let him know you want his body, Leah_. Embry laughed.

_You're dead too, Call_.

_Enough!_ Sam shouted again.

Jake did not envy Sam's job of keeping them all in line. The bickering and squabbling had been bad enough when it was just that idiot Paul on the short end of the stick. Now, with Leah running as well, tempers ran high and she was usually the cause behind it. Not that Jake blamed her much anymore. Bella's continuing to choose Edward over himself helped him see things in Leah's point of view. It had to suck for her being under her ex's command, knowing he went home to her cousin's bed every night. It was the same for him. He could spend all the time he wanted hanging out with Bells, she'd just go back to the corpse at the end of the day.

_Frig, Jake, you're bringing me down, man_. Seth groaned.

_I guess I could try to focus on the positive. Edward might be torn apart by the other bloodsuckers, and die a slow and agonizing death_.

_Way to think positive Jake_. Seth rolled his eyes.

_Can't say I'm not hoping for it too kid_. Leah was back. _Jake, what do ya say we start a letter campaign to Santa? He'd never owe me another gift ever! Not as long as that condescending douchbag's head is in my stocking. I never really wanted that soccer ball he left me when I was eight, but I might take up the sport again if I could practice with Eddie's face_.

_What do you want to practice with Edward's face?_ Paul cut in, snickering. _I missed something there_.

_Funny, Rachel's always complaining and saying the same thing about you_.

Everyone else laughed but me and Paul. Paul, because Leah was belittling his manhood. Me, because it was my sister they were talking about and the thought of her and Paul in the sack made me want to gag.

_Leah, knock it off, that's gross_. Seth chastised his sister.

_What's wrong little brother? Still think girls have cooties? You don't want to know what I was doing at your age_.

_Leah!_ Sam barked.

_Shut your muzzle Uley. It wasn't with you_.

_And you wonder how we're related? It's like living with a Tourette's kid with you!_

_How _do_ you live with her kid?_ Quil asked. _I'd smother her in her sleep_.

_You come near me while I'm sleeping Asshole, and you'll be pissing sideways for the rest of your life_.

_You'd never catch me_.

_I can run faster than you with my eyes closed_.

_Yeah? Can you do it with your mouth shut too?_

Jake barked out laughter at that one, and he wasn't the only one. Leah's mind went red, and all Jake could see was Leah planning Quil's demise.

_You better watch it Bro_. Jake laughed at his friend as Leah planned to hide behind Clair's house with a camera to catch Quil the next time the toddler wanted to play princess tea party. _She's pissed_.

_She don't scare me_.

_Then you're as stupid as you look_. Leah bit out, conjuring up an image of Clair's upcoming birthday party.

Jake had to laugh at that as well. His best friend was a slave to a toddler's whims.

_Come on guys_. Seth whined. He hated when everyone picked on his sister, but she honestly brought it on herself.

But Leah wasn't done with her revenge on Quil for his very existence. She was contemplating knocking him out, and leaving him naked and tied to a tree in front of Forks High.

_Awww, I always knew you wanted to get me naked Leah,_ Quil teased her.

_Eewww! So wrong! Freakin' Ass-hat. It's a good thing for Clair that she's got sixteen years for you to figure out what to do with that bee stinger you call a dick_.

_Come on Lee_, Quil laughed. _Give me some credit – I took Sex-Ed_.

_I hope they did more than give you an instruction manual. You couldn't pour water out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel!_

Jake and the others burst out laughing.

_Leah, you totally scammed that line from 'The Raccoons.'_ Seth smirked.

_Dude, you watched The Raccoons?_ Embry teased him.

_Apparently I wasn't the only one_.

_But it's Canadian T.V. kid – the CBC no less. It sucks by definition_. Jake laughed.

_It does not! Besides, they show a lot of hockey on the CBC and the Vancouver Canucks are going to kick ass this year and win The Cup_.

_Oh my God, my kid brother's on dope_. Leah rolled her eyes.

_I'll take that bet kid_. Jared joined in. _Ten bucks on the Penguins taking it home. That Crosby kid is on fire._

_You're on_. Seth smiled to himself

_I'm surrounded by morons_. Leah muttered and shook her head.

_Back to the task at hand guys_. Sam growled. He was more than a little pissed at Leah telling him to shut it.

Jake tuned out the thoughts of his pack. He could hear Leah and Paul abusing each other. Paul should just shut up because he was no match for Leah's sharp wit. As she was fond of saying, 'a battle of wits against an un-armed man isn't as much fun as it should be'. Of course Quil was never one to keep his yap shut either, but honestly, Quil just liked getting under people's skin.

They were about a mile away from the clearing now, with Seth scouting the way up ahead. They'd be in Edward's range by now.

_Hey bloodsucker! You hear us yet you fucktard?_

_Fucktard? Oh I like that one Jake. Gold star for you_. Leah snickered.

Jake ignored her. Taunting Edward was the only thing that kept him going these last couple of nights. _Hey Eddie! I had this unbelievable dream last night. Check it out_. Jake replayed an entirely made up dream of he and Bella skinny-dipping at the beach.

_Dude!_ Embry barked. _There are kids present_.

_That was pretty tame compared to Jared and Kim recaps_. Seth groaned. _I could do with a little less nudity though, thanks_.

_His poor virgin eyes_. Quil laughed.

_Don't go pointing that finger Atera. Seth will most likely pop his cherry before you do_. Paul cut in.

_Please. You fainted and then ran from the house the first time you saw Rachel naked_. Quil scoffed.

_Quil, you're my friend, but if you ever say my sister's name and the word naked in the same sentence again, I'll kill you_. Jake growled. Jake felt a major pity vibe for Seth who was practically forced to witness his sister naked every time she phased.

_Hey! What's that?_ Seth's ears perked and he trotted further ahead. Jake hadn't realized how far away the kid had gotten while he'd been laughing at the pack banter.

_What's going on Seth? Emmett hide Blondie's favorite shoes again?_ Embry laughed.

_I don't know_. Seth's voice took on a worried tone. _Something's not right_.

Jake looked through Seth's eyes. He was just coming up on the clearing, but there wasn't the sound of the usual grappling between the Cullens. It was oddly quiet.

_Are they there?_ Sam asked, suspicious.

_Oh, they're there alright. I can smell them_. Seth answered.

Jake was picking up on something now too. He didn't know what it was, but the hairs on his neck were sticking up. He took a deep sniff, wincing as the vampire stink assaulted him. He could smell Bella too, so what was the problem? He didn't smell an unknown leech, but something was definitely wrong.

It was cold, and it was acrid, and it settled and burned in his gut.

Fear. It was fear he could smell.

_There are two people there_. Seth said. _They've got Bella behind them and they're holding the Cullens hostage. Edward, Jasper and Emmett are down_.

_No one make a sound!_ Jake started running. _Seth, don't move until we get there_.

_Nobody moves until we __all__ get there_. Sam commanded.

There was a flurry of activity as wolves started running full out for the clearing from all over their boundaries.

_Seth!_ Sam barked. _What are they?_

_I don't know. They're not vampires, that's for sure. But they don't have a scent_.

_Everything has a scent_.

_These two don't. Whatever they are, they took down three of the Cullens and are keeping the rest of them back_.

Jake could see Jasper pulling himself along the ground towards Edward as he raced up and caught up to Seth near the clearing. Every thought in his head was telling him to rush into that clearing and get Bella the fuck out of there, leeches be-damned. He'd tear those two apart.

_Jake! You will not go in there without the rest of us!_

_But they have her!_

_I don't think they're trying to hurt her man_. Embry said as he came up to Jake and Seth. _It looks like they're trying to protect her_.

Jake snapped at him. He didn't care what it looked like. There were two unknown threats between him and his Bella.

_Whatever they're doing_, Leah cut in, forest whipping past her as she ran, eager for a fight. _If they took out a couple leeches, they're okay in my book_.

_But they have Bella!_ Jake yelled. All he could think was that he had to get to her, to protect her like only he could. He made to run for it but Seth and Embry dug their shoulders into his chest, holding him back. A second later, Quil was there too, blocking his way like the others.

_Jake! Bro! You can't go in there like this_.

_The hell I can't! Get the fuck outta my way!_

_Jacob!_ Sam's voice shot through the mind link.

_Be smart man! We need a plan_.

_It's get in there and tear those two to pieces!_

_Jacob! You will wait for the rest of the pack!_ Sam's deep voice boomed and echoed in his mind as he laid down the Alpha law.

Jake felt his legs wobble and his knees bent against his will. _But Sam…they have her_. He pleaded.

_And we'll get her out. But you can't go up against them like this. If they can take down vampires, they can very well take you out too_.

Jake could see foliage blurring past in his brother's eyes as they all raced to the impending fight. He was frozen. All he could do was hunker down on his belly and look through the ferns at the sight on the other side of the clearing. Edward and Jasper crawling painfully across the grass, arrows sticking out of them. That blond bitch Rosalie pulling an arrow out of Emmett. Carlisle, Esme and Alice standing in front of the strangers with their arms up like a liquor store robbery. The two strangers, one holding a crossbow on the Cullens while the other one held a machete.

And Bella. Bella screaming for Edward.

_Jake, just listen to what they're saying man_. Embry insisted.

They wanted to take Bella away, to protect her from the vampires coming to town. If Jake were thinking right, that would sound like a good idea. But he didn't know who the fuck these two were. He didn't know if they were trustworthy, or if they could protect her at all. Granted they took out the three strongest Cullens – whatever they did with those arrows took the leeches down for the count – but what would happen if a large group found them? They'd run and leave Bella to be ripped to shreds. There was no way he was going to stand for Bells to be taken away from him, where he couldn't look out for her.

_Sam hurry your fucking furry ass up here!_ Jake growled while still pinned to the ground by the Alpha command.

There was a burst of speed as the pack unanimously kicked it into high gear. Leah was closing the distance fast, her powerful legs eating up the distance as she darted between trees. Jared, Paul and Sam were converging on each other, while Colin and Brady were sent back to the Rez to await further instructions. The kids weren't too happy about it, they wanted to see some action. They'd already been told they wouldn't be at the fight when the Seattle bitch got there, they'd been pissed about that too.

Jake watched Jasper and Edward pull their arrows out, and watched them limp painfully towards the others. The strangers were barking out orders, telling off Carlisle and Edward – the shorter one had a smart mouth. Jasper said the words hunters and Brotherhood – whatever that meant. Apparently none of the other bloodsuckers knew what that was either.

_If anything happens to her, you fucking leech, _Jake cursed at Edward,_ I will rip you apart and smile as you burn_.

_You guys get up behind them, we're almost there_. Sam called.

Jake didn't need to be told twice. He took off at a dead run, silent on his heavy paws as he raced around the clearing for the other end. They met Leah part way, her silver coat glinting ghost-like in the dark as she fell in behind Quil. They ran until they were behind the trees near the outcropping, crouching in the dense foliage. They were nearer now, and it was true that the strangers had no scent. They looked human, sounded human, why didn't they smell human? The coarse hairs on his neck stood straight.

_What are you?_

The rest of the pack was close now, only a minute away.

The shorter one asked why the leeches just didn't put Bella on a plane to get her out of here, and Bella was explaining that she couldn't run because the army would go into the town searching for her. The big one exploded that they were using her for bait. Jake couldn't argue with that. Bait was exactly what Bella was. But it wasn't in a bad way. What was going to happen to her up in the mountains, away from the fight and all of them down here to protect her? Nothing – that's what. And when Jake was finished with these two, he'd be ready to rip apart all the bloodsucking assholes that Victoria bitch was bringing for them to play with. He wanted Victoria for himself. No one threatened his Bella. Not without answering to him.

The soft almost inaudible thumps of the packs paws drew near. Every mind was eager for a fight, every mind was processing what they'd watched through the eyes of the pack members who had been up here and witnessed the exchanges between the strangers and the Cullens.

The wolves lined up. Sam in the middle, Jake on his right as his second, Jared on the left. Seth and Leah were at opposite ends of the line. They crept out of the trees, silent as death.

The strangers were yelling at the vampires that they were too outnumbered to risk keeping Bella near the fight.

"We're going to have help." Carlisle said calmly.

_I am going to fuck you two up_.

"Who? The Volturi?" The smart-mouthed one yelled.

_Jacob!_ Sam commanded. _You will not attack them outright!_

_Sam!_

_No!_

"No." Edward said with a smile that looked like he'd just won the lotto.

Every wolf in the line let loose a low, threatening growl.

"Our new allies."

A/N: Big thanks to everyone who is enjoying this story, especially my awesome, loyal reviewers. You guys make my day with your encouragement.

And I should probably take a minute to apologize to everyone about my profane language in this fic. I've dropped a lot of 'f-bombs' so far and there is no shortage of them in the upcoming chapters. My only excuse is that Sam and Dean were raised by a marine and have lived a hard life. They say fuck. Sorry.


	12. SNAFU

Disclaimer: They're mine, all mine! Bwa-ha-ha.

11. SNAFU

Hunter's Handbook, rule number two: Never turn your back on your enemy.

_Good fucking advice Dad, as long as you aren't suddenly surrounded by snarling and snapping fuglies_.

The growls from behind triggered a response that years of training could just never erase. Sam turned, bringing the crossbow up, trusting Dean to keep an eye on the vampires. Only Dean turned his head to see what the new threat was.

Wolves. Big ass, snarling wolves. And a shit-load of them.

And that was all it took for the crap to really hit the fan. One second of stupid reaction, and Esme and Carlisle darted forward and grabbed Bella, nearly throwing her out of harms way. Dean whipped around to grab the girl, and caught one of the wolves near the end of the line bunching up its hind-quarters, readying to pounce at Sam. But Sam was watching the two biggest wolves in the middle of the line who were closest to him and growling the loudest.

"Sam! Look out!" And Dean crashed his shoulder into his little brother, knocking him sideways just as the wolf leapt into the air. The wolf soared at Sam, whose crossbow had fallen out of his grip when Dean slammed into him. Sam – momentum, and years of fighting experience – used the fall to his advantage. He brought up a massive foot as he fell and rolled onto his back, landing it in the wolf's stomach, and launching the beast, ass over end into the side of the outcropping where it crumpled to the ground before shakily getting back to its feet.

But Dean hadn't been able to do more to help his brother after he pushed him. Edward had found some reserve of strength from hell knows where, and leapt at Dean's middle, nearly tackling him to the ground. Dean brought an elbow up into the vamp kid's face, sending him reeling. Dean charged the mind reader, driving a shoulder into the kid's gut, but the kid had some fight in him still, as he landed some punches on Dean's face and stomach. Then, Edward had his arms around Dean's chest, and he was squeezing with all he had left. There was a rule to hunting vampires, and it was to never let them get their arms around you. A vampire could squeeze you 'til your ribs snapped like kindling, and poked your lungs full of holes. 'Course, they never did this to kill, it was a waste of a meal. But vamps liked to play with their food, and taking their victim to the brink of death before burying their teeth in their neck was a kick for them.

And as Dean struggled against Edward, he watched as Sam scooped up the crossbow and held it on the wolf at the base of the rocks. The other wolves in the line were dancing back and forth, like dogs at the end of a leash who spied a cat. He didn't understand why the rest of the pack didn't fall on Sam, or why the rest of the vampires didn't rip himself to shreds. The wolf near the rocks crouched low, teeth bared, ready to keep fighting, when a second wolf erupted from the line.

"Sam!" He yelled as loud as he could, which wasn't very much as Edward had squeezed all the air out of him and he could feel his ribs constricting. And Dean knew the only reason he wasn't dead yet was because of the Dead Man's Blood coursing through Edward's system.

Sam heard the warning, darting out of the way enough to grab the nine millimeter out of the waist of his jeans. It had been an improvisation on his part, saying he felt naked without it. Sam leveled the nickel-plated gun on the second wolf, holding the crossbow on the other, and Dean couldn't help thinking this was like some fucked up scene from Rambo. Sam was stuck in the middle of the two giant wolves, weapons out to his sides, and walking slowly backwards to bring the canines in front of him more. More wolves were starting to walk forward, teeth bared in defense of their pack mates.

"That gun won't do much to them." Edward hissed in his ear.

"You'd be surprised what a good head shot will take out." Dean grunted back before driving the back of his head into Edward's face. Once. Twice. Three times. Thump, thump, thump. The kid hung on, but he was dazed. Eddie was tall, but he wasn't taller than the hunter. Dean leant over at the waist, lifting Edward off his feet as he still tried to wring the life out of him. Dean let one of his legs fall out from under him, causing them to twist as they fell to the ground with Dean landing heavily on top of him, driving his elbows and all his one hundred and eighty plus pounds into the vamps damaged chest.

Edward managed to let out a grunt of surprise and pain before Dean was straddling him and pummeling him in the face. Edward brought a knee up into Dean's ass, which knocked him off balance mid-swing. The hunter rolled off the leech, and landed on him again as Eddie rolled onto his stomach in an effort to get up.

Dean pressed a knee into the kid's back. Grabbing him by his shaggy hair, Dean pulled his bowie knife from his belt. The silvery blade black with Herb's dried blood on it. Dean yanked on the kid's hair, exposing his throat and pressing the blade to the pale column of skin.

Bella screamed, Carlisle ran forward, Alice nearly dropped Jasper on the ground to run as well.

"Move and I'll kill him!" Dean yelled.

"Please…" Carlisle begged, "…my son."

"Call off your dogs Carlisle!"

"They aren't mine to command."

"Call off the fucking wolves or Eddie gets a Columbian necktie!" Dean bellowed.

"Sam! Jake!" Bella screamed, pulling out of Esme's grasp and running forward several steps. "Stop! Please stop!"

The wolves stopped their advance, but they didn't back up any.

"Bella!" Dean growled. She whipped her head around, tears were leaking down her cheeks as she looked at her boyfriend on the ground with a nine inch blade pressed into his Adam's apple. "Bella, go over there, and walk my brother back over here. Those overgrown huskies move and it's game over."

"Bella, don't do it!" Edward rasped out, but Bella was already running over to the younger hunter, staggering and stumbling on blades of grass as she went. Dean had to give the girl credit – she had guts, if not co-ordination. She stood directly between Sam's crossbow and the salivating wolves, arms out wide and giving them a pleading look.

The big wolf in the middle growled at her, but she didn't flinch. "Jake, please." She begged it, tears streaming. "Just don't move. Okay?"

Whatever these creatures were, the hunters had never come across the likes of them before, and Dean hated being up against something he was unfamiliar with. He liked knowing how to kill something.

The big wolf looked at the vampires, Bella, Sam, and back to Bella, before taking a step back. The rest of the pack did as well, and although the snarling didn't stop, they didn't move forward as Sam and Bella slowly side-stepped their way back to Dean and Edward. Sam never lowered his weapons once, and Dean knew that crossbow had to be getting heavy after holding it one handed for so long. But Sammy's arm never wavered once.

"Dean, you okay?" Sam asked as he stood guard over his brother and the prone vampire. Bella stood there too, her hands over her mouth as she stared fixated on Edward's wildly roving eyes and the knife at his throat.

"Peachy keen, aren't we Eddo?" Dean snarked.

"You hurt her, and I will hunt you till the ends of the earth." Edward spat.

"When are you going to wise up Dip-shit?" Dean growled back. "We were never going to hurt her."

"Hey!" Sam yelled at the line of wolves as one of them turned and trotted into the trees. Sam hefted the crossbow to his eye and looked down the sight.

"NO!" Bella screamed.

"Where the fuck's he going!" Dean yelled, adding pressure to the blade in his hand.

"He wants to talk to you for himself." Ed grunted. "He doesn't always trust my interpreting."

"He can talk?" Sam asked, incredulous.

"He has to phase back first. He doesn't want to do it in front of Bella."

"Phase into what?" Dean demanded.

"He's human..." Sam whispered, "…I think."

Dean glanced up to see a giant Indian walking towards them with all the confident swagger of Barry Bonds striding to the plate after a home-run. He was barefoot, bare-chested, clad only in a pair of shorts, and he was freaking huge. It wasn't often you saw a guy bigger than Sam, and this guy had a couple inches on the kid, and the shoulders to match. And what was with kids today and all the shaggy hair? None of them hear of scissors? He looked like he'd recently shaved his head and let it grow back in so that it was all one length and sticking up all over the place.

"How…?" Dean spluttered, at a total loss for once.

"You making an Indian joke?" The big guy raised an eyebrow and frowned.

All Dean could do was scrunch up his face and look at the giant with all the confusion he felt.

_What the fuck are you?_

"Look," the Indian said, "As much as I think that 'headless' would be a good look for the bloodsucker…"

"Jake…" Bella pleaded.

Jake rolled his eyes and sighed. "But that would upset Bella."

"I let him up and I lose all my leverage." Dean replied.

"Leverage?" Jake snorted. "Buddy, if you think I give a damn about any the Cullens… think again. Least of all this jerk."

"But they said you're their allies." Sam insisted.

"We have a truce with them. They keep their teeth to themselves, we keep ours out of them." The giant shrugged. Dean risked a glance at Sam. He had his determined but annoyed bitchface on. Sam hated people being taller than him – it made him nervous. "We're just teaming up to take out the vampires that are on their way here."

"If you hate them so much, why would you join forces to help them?" Sam demanded.

"As much as I hate to admit it, the Cullens haven't hurt anyone so they're off limits. And this Victoria bitch is after Bella personally – so we ain't gonna let that happen." He looked shrewdly at the brothers. "You really weren't planning on hurting her?"

"We just wanted to get her out of the line of fire." Sam answered. "We would have protected her. Trouble seems to gravitate towards her."

"You ain't kidding." Jake rolled his eyes. "Why would you risk your lives to protect her?"

"Because it's our job." Dean bit out, digging his knee into Edward's back a little. "We've been protecting people all our lives from the supernatural."

"Please let him up." Bella whispered.

"Sure, sure, Bells." Jake waved a hand impatiently at her. "Look, let the asshole up and we talk. No trouble, okay?"

"And how do we know we'll be safe?" Dean growled, pulling on Edward's hair a little, and earning a grunt from the kid.

Jake jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the rest of the pack. "We make a deal, we stick to it. They're still alive…" He nodded towards the Cullens. "…and if the vampires make a move, the pack will stand in their way."

"He means it." Edward wheezed. "He thinks nothing of my family, though we haven't breached the treaty either."

"Look," Jake ran a hand through his hair, "we're all good fighters here. You two obviously know something when it comes to leeches because you took out their fighters. And you gave Paul a good licking there too." He grinned at this. He must not like Paul much.

"You answer me one thing you sonofabitch," Dean yanked Edward's hair again and leaned in close so his face was next to the vamp's. "Were you planning on turning that girl to protect her from the other vampires?"

"No." He rasped, his eyes narrow in pure hatred of the hunter who held him hostage. "I love her and I don't want to damn her to this life."

Jake glared daggers down at Edward with pure loathing written clear across his face. "If they change her," the guy's voice was cold and hard, "the treaty is broken and we kill them all."

And Dean could see the plain truth in Jake's face. He hated the vampires. He hated Edward with Bella, and he wanted Bella for himself. What was it about this girl that drew the supernatural to her like flies to honey? What Dean didn't understand was the instinct to trust the wolves. They weren't sending up any red flares in the mistrust center of his brain, and he mistrusted everyone.

"We can't trust them, and we have no reason to trust you." Dean said, eyes narrowing.

"Guys," Jake turned his head and jerked it towards the vampires standing mute and worried nearby. Emmett was lying down on the ground now, Rosalie holding his head in her lap. The double dose of poison had him out cold. Alice was still holding Jasper upright, but Esme had come to stand in front of them protectively. The line of giant wolves trotted past the hunters, Bella, the leech, and Jake, and they formed a line between them and the Cullens. There was no growling or bared teeth from either side, but the animosity was there so thick it was impossible to ignore. "If you think any vampire is crossing that line… think again."

Dean grudgingly let go of his grip on Edward's hair, but not without a final angry shove on the back of his head. Bella immediately fell on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing onto his shoulder. Eddie wrapped an arm around her waist, and buried his nose into her hair. Jake rolled his eyes at the spectacle and glowered at the two lovebirds.

Dean stood up, dusted himself off and stood next to Sam, facing Jake. Dean was careful to keep an eye on the vampire on the ground, though he seemed to have nothing left in him at the moment other than a need to hold Bella. Neither hunter put away their weapons. Though Sam did lower the crossbow, he still held his nine loosely by his side.

"So what the fuck are you guys?" Dean started.

Jake laughed at him. "You say you've been hunting the supernatural all your lives, and you don't know a werewolf when you see one?"

"Look buddy," Sam cut in, "we've hunted werewolves. We've killed them." Dean didn't miss the bare hint of a hitch in Sam's voice at that last part. Sammy had forgotten to mention that one of the two hunters had fallen in love with a werewolf, and then been forced to kill her.

"Yeah," Dean added. "What ever you guys are…you ain't werewolves."

"And how do you figure that?" Jake raised a skeptical eyebrow at them, clearly rethinking his appraisal of their supernatural knowledge.

"First of all, no full moon." Sam nodded over his shoulder at the sky. You couldn't see a moon through the thick cloud cover, but they were in the first quarter, a full moon was weeks away.

"Yeah, and werewolves don't hulk out into giant sled dogs, there White-Fang." Dean quipped.

"You don't have a desperate desire to rip our hearts from our chests, do you?"

"Were you bitten by an infected were?"

"Do you lose hours of your memory at a time?"

"Do you have any bad reactions to silver?" Both brothers barraged him with questions, none of which applied to the wolves in question. Jake had a confused look on his face at what the hunters were asking him, clearly not understanding that he wasn't what he thought he was.

"If we're not werewolves, what are we?" Jake frowned.

"I'd say shape-shifter." Dean answered.

"I don't know, man." Sam's brow furrowed. "Do you change into anything besides wolves?"

"No."

"And you don't react to silver?" Sam questioned.

"No."

"Then you're not a shape-shifter."

"He's Native – what about a skin-walker?" Dean offered.

Sam bit his lower lip. "Did you kill a family member to get your powers?"

"No!" Jake's face scrunched up in disgust.

"Then he's not a skin-walker." Dean groused. It really bugged him that he couldn't label the wolves. As soon as he knew what they were, he'd know how to kill them if he had to. The thing was…he didn't want to have to kill them. He liked Jake for no reason that he could come up with. He just seemed…honest. The pure loathing he had for the vampires probably didn't hurt his standing either.

"So you only turn into wolves and you can do it at will." Sam reiterated.

"Yeah."

"I guess he's more like an animagus." Sam shrugged.

"An ani-who?" Dean scowled. He's never heard of that one.

"An animagus." Edward wheezed from his spot on the ground. "It's from Harry Potter."

"Dude!" Dean scowled at his brother. "You're quoting Harry Potter? That is so gay!"

Jake burst out laughing. Actually holding his sides as he leant forward and gasped for breath. Sam shrugged. "Jess was a fan." He didn't have anything else to say to that one.

_Yeah, blame the dead girlfriend_.

"Okay," Dean shifted to face the giant Indian. "You and your furry buddies are hell bent on fighting the Seattle vampires – right?" Jake nodded yes. "And you're going to hook up with Vampire the Bambi-Slayer to do it – right?" Jake nodded again. Dean gestured to Sam and himself. "We want in."

Edward tried to struggle to his feet. Bella helped him stand, but stumbled herself. Dean rolled his eyes at her. This chick was a walking catastrophe. "No." Edward grunted. "We will not fight with you."

"Well you don't get to vote _Princess_." Dean sneered at him. "We're not going until the job is done, 'cuz that's just how we roll."

"You _want_ to stay and fight?" Jake raised his eyebrows in astonishment.

"We don't bail on a job." Sam's head shook slightly. "Ever."

"And we're not going to just walk away from all this, not knowing if it was fully taken care of or not." Dean stepped toward Jake. "So yes – we're staying."

A/N: The entire reason I started writing this story was because I had a glimpse of Sam calling the Quileutes 'animagus' and Dean being appalled his brother was quoting Harry Potter. So once that popped into my head, I had to write a story around it. This is what I came up with. Hope everyone is enjoying the ride – reviewers rock!! ;-)


	13. Insurance

Disclaimer: No. _*sigh*_

12. Insurance

"So yes – we're staying." Dean said firmly.

"And there's no way you're going to let me talk you out of that, are you?" Jake bit his bottom lip.

"Not a chance in hell." Dean smirked cockily.

"Dean," Sam interrupted, "…if we're gonna work with these guys, we should take a couple precautions."

"Damn straight Sammy." Dean clapped his hands. He'd already thought of that. His dad would kick his ass from here to hell and back if he knew that his boys were going to work with a bunch of the enemy. Granted, his dad was a stubborn sonofabitch on his best of days, and a hard-assed drill sergeant with a loaded weapon and a quick foot on the rest. And if this incoming army was as big as he and Sam thought it was, there was no way they could really take them out on their own. They could call in help, but that would take time that they probably didn't have.

"Do you guys know when this army is going to get here?" Dean asked Jake.

"The fortune teller said she sees them coming early morning, day after tomorrow." Jake nodded towards Alice on the other side of the line of wolves. Dean risked a glance at the pixie-like vampire. She was still tucked under Jasper's arm, and she was pointedly ignoring the wolves in front of her. Her entire attention was focused solely on the hunters, and her brow was still as furrowed now as it was earlier. Dean didn't like her looking at them like that, and again he wondered how her visions worked.

"So what was your guys' plan?" Sam asked.

"We're going to hide Bella in the mountain range tomorrow. We're going to use her to lay a scent trail for the bloodsuckers to follow here, where we ambush them and kill them all."

"You're sending her up there alone?" Dean scowled.

"Edward's staying with me." Bella looked up sharply from her spot on the ground.

"Bella…" Edward said softly, putting a hand behind her head to turn her face to look at him.

"No Edward!" She shoved him in the chest, and instantly regretted it because he winced in pain from the arrow wound. "No." She said quieter. "No. I will not sit up there alone, and wonder what's happening down here to the people I love."

"Bella, please be reasonable." Edward murmured.

Jake scoffed. "And when has Bells ever been reasonable, you ass?" Edward shot him a dark look.

"Dude," Dean smirked, "you two have some serious issues."

"We have one issue." Jake pointedly looked at Bella and then turned his back on the two lovebirds.

"Bella, if I'm up there, I won't know what's happening here. It's my family – I have to fight." Edward pleaded with her.

"If you're staying down here, then so am I." She said gravely.

"Come on Bells." Jake said derisively. "You know I don't like to agree with this jerk-off, but you're in danger if you're down here in the middle of this fight. Either you get hurt, or one of us does trying to protect you. You're not staying."

"But you can't keep her up there alone!" Dean yelled. "Her luck, she'd fall off the side of the mountain." Eddie and Jake both rolled their eyes at that one.

_Did this chick seriously fall off the side of a mountain?_

"We're not sending her up there alone." Jake insisted. "We're sending Seth up to take care of her." Jake nodded at the smallest wolf at the end of the line. He was all long legs and overgrown paws, and his head was darting from one direction to another like a dog with an attention span issue. He looked more like an overgrown coyote than a wolf. "Seth is the youngest, and we don't really want him down here in the middle of the fight because he's least experienced." Jake whispered. "He'll keep an eye on Bella."

"And what happens if she's found up there?" Sam argued. "That overgrown puppy is supposed to protect her?"

"If something happens, Seth will let us know and we'll get to her."

"And how is he supposed to let you know that she's in danger?" Dean snarked. "Your cell have a function that automatically dials the right number if you bark a certain number of times?"

Jake narrowed his eyes at him. "When we run as wolves, the pack mind is connected."

"What the fuck does that mean? Connected?" Dean sneered.

"We hear each other's thoughts. Even hundreds of miles apart, we can hear each other."

"Like a Vulcan Mind-Meld?" Dean's face scrunched up at how horrible it would be to not keep their thoughts to themselves, if he and Sam had a mind link. That would so suck.

"Yeah, I guess so." Jake shrugged.

"Dude, that blows." Sam said.

"You're telling me. The wolf you kicked into the rocks is dating my sister." Jake grimaced. Both hunters did too. No one wanted brain-stabbing imagery of a naked sibling.

"Okay, so Seth babysits Bella…" Sam started.

"I am not going to be '_babysat_'!" Bella spat.

"Bella, love, please…" Edward tried to persuade her.

"Seth will want to come down to the fight too. I'll talk him into bringing me back down." Bella crossed her arms across her chest and Dean almost expected her to stick her tongue out. A silver wolf at the end of the line turned its head and growled viciously at Bella. Bella just turned her head and ignored the creature.

"Seth won't bring you back if I tell him not to!" Jake snapped at her.

"So, are you in charge of this bunch, Jake?" Dean asked.

He shook his head. "Sam's Alpha." He gestured to the largest wolf in the center of the line. "I'm second. So Seth will do what I damn well tell him." He growled that last bit at Bella to drive his point home.

"So why didn't your boss phase back to two legs to talk to us himself?" Dean baited him. He didn't miss the way Jake looked at the head wolf. There was a little dissention in the ranks.

"Because of Bella… I'm a little closer to the situation than he is."

"And he doesn't trust the vampires enough to be human around them." Sam inferred.

"Not by a long shot." Jake snorted.

So Dean would give Jake some credit in the 'balls' department. If the head honcho didn't have the nads to phase in front of the vampires, and Jake did, than he'd just earned a couple extra respect points from the experienced hunter.

"Dean…" Sam nudged him, "…precautions."

"Right you are Sammy." Dean pulled his cell phone from his pocket and held the 'two' button that would call Caleb's phone. It rang twice.

_Pick up you sonofabitch_.

The third ring. "_Deuce?_" Caleb's sleep-heavy voice filled his ear.

Dean sighed inwardly. "Hey Damien," Dean made his voice happy and upbeat.

"_Dude, you are way too happy, what's going on?_" He yawned.

"Hey man, we figured out what's causing all the trouble in Seattle."

"_Yeah? And it makes you that happy? What is it? Tell me it's a succubus._"

"Vampires."

"_Vampires? Really? There's got to be a shit load of them to be racking up a body count like that one._" He seemed to be waking up a bit now.

"You ain't kidding. There's a fucking army of them."

"_Well you and the runt can't take all of them on at once. Give me two days to finish up here. We'll call in Bobby and Josh. Hell, Ethan and Elijah will want in on this too._"

"Yeah… Here's the thing dude." Dean rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. Damien was going to freak. "There's no time to wait. The bitch in charge of the Seattle vamps has a grudge against another family of vampires – the Cullens. They live off animal blood, and one of them is hot and heavy with a human chick, who this Vicky bitch has a huge vendetta against. She's going to be here in about twenty-four hours, and we're going to fight with the Cullens and take her down."

There was silence for five whole seconds before Dean's phone exploded.

"_Dean! Have you lost your fucking mind!?_"

"Lost it years ago man." Dean tried to joke.

"_You're going to trust a family of vampires? You're going to fight beside them and take out other vampires? Do you know how fucking crazy that is? Where's Sam? Put him on the goddamn phone! The runt can't be onboard with this._"

"Sammy's cool with the idea. We're making friends here."

Caleb snorted derisively. They didn't make friends. Dean turned to look at Jake. The big guy was watching him with an amused smile on his face, and Dean wondered if the Wolfman could hear the conversation on the other end of the line.

"We're not the only ones fighting against them here." Dean said slowly.

Caleb snorted again. "_Who else is up there to help you two? The Keebler Fucking-Elves?_"

"There's a pack of wolves here that are fighting too."

Dead silence… "Wolves?" Damien asked disbelievingly. Dean could see his friend's confused eyebrow cocking up from all the way down in Texas.

"Yeah… They think they're werewolves, but they totally aren't. Sam called them anti-magnets…"

"Animagus." Sam corrected him.

"…Yeah… That. Some boy-wizard-thing. You remember how Sam had a thing for magic when he was a kid? Anyway, we're gonna team up with these guys and torch the bitch before she ups the body count any more."

"_Dean_." Caleb said his given name with an air of diminishing patience. "_Even you aren't crazy enough to hunt next to two groups of fuglies that should be on your goddamn hit list_."

"Well, that's why I'm calling you." Dean said, scrubbing his hand over the back of his neck again. He looked over at Sam, standing a few feet away and eyeing him critically. Dean only had a few more weeks, and then it was a one way trip downstairs. So if he died up here, it didn't really matter, he was on borrowed time as it was. But Sammy? Sam had the rest of his life in front of him, and if Dean went down in this fight, there would be no one to watch Sam's back. It was the last thing he could do to make sure his brother made it out of here alive. Dean didn't trust the vamps, and he had no reason to trust the wolves. He had to protect Sam.

"Dude!" Dean called to Sam and went to kneel in front of Bella and Edward. Both teens looked at him like he lost his mind, and that they'd like to kill him… respectively. "Capture the moment." Dean made a clicking motion with his finger, miming for Sam to take their picture. Sam pulled his cell out of his pocket and snapped a picture of the three of them. Bella and Edward confused, and Dean giving the camera the thumbs up and flashing a goofy, shit-eating grin.

"Damien, Sammy's gonna send you a photo and some co-ordinates for where we are. The kids in the picture are Edward Cullen, and Bella Swan. They're the ones in the middle of this shit-storm. Bella's human, Edward can read minds, and his sister can see the future, so look out for them."

"_Look out for them?_" Caleb demanded. "_What are you talking about_."

"Yes…" Edward hissed. "What are you talking about?"

_Okay, so mindfucker can hear the conversation too_. Dean rolled his eyes.

"We're gonna fight, and you know we are so don't bother trying to talk us out of it." Dean said into the phone. "But if these fuckers double-cross us… If Sammy doesn't make it out of here alive… You rally the fucking troops, man. You bring everyone and you level this fucking town until all the vampires and all the wolves are toast. The wolves are Natives, and there's a reservation nearby – that would be a good place to start looking for them."

Edward hissed again. Jake growled and took a step nearer to Dean, but Sam stepped forward too and shook his head slightly at the giant. A low growl went up from the line of wolves.

"_So what am I?_" Caleb huffed into the phone. "_Your fucking insurance plan?_"

"That's exactly what you are. And now everyone here knows it. Anyone tries to get cute, and everyone dies."

"_I don't like this. I think you should wait until all of us can get there, and we can take them all down._"

"No time. And unless they do stab us in the back, we can't make a move on them. They haven't hurt anybody."

"_Deuce…_"

"Remember, Edward's a mind-reader, but you can block him. Alice has visions, and Josh's scent amulets work. Hey… Tell him I'm giving him a raise… he'll get a kick out of that."

"_Don't make jokes man._"

"Look, I gotta run. It's getting a little tense up here now." Jake was staring at him and shaking from head to toe. His fists were balled up and tight to his sides, and his face was turning scarlet. It was alarming to say the least and Dean wondered if he was about to hulk out.

"_You making a situation tense? Really? Who'd a thought_." Dean could feel the eye roll on the other end of the line.

"We'll call you on scheduled check-ins, and I'll call you when it's over. If you don't hear from me or Sammy, call in the cavalry."

"_Deuce!_" Caleb shouted, but Dean flipped his phone shut.

"What the hell did you just do?" Jake spit out from bared teeth.

Dean spoke loudly for everyone to hear. He had to be very loud, there was a lot of hissing and growling coming from all around him. "Just so we're all on the same page, my brother and I are staying to make sure everything goes down like it's supposed to. Anyone gets any bright ideas to take out either of us to '_protect a secret_'," Dean made quotation marks in the air, "…then this guy," he waved his phone in the air, "…will come and bring all our hunting buddies with him."

"And what happens if you die in the fight and it's not our doing?" Carlisle called, his normally calm face marred by an anger that Dean didn't know he could possess. "Will your friends come for retribution?"

"Let's just say it's a good idea to make sure that Sam and I don't have an unfortunate accident."

"You're human." Alice seethed. "The newborns will bee-line right for you. You have a damn target on your back and you want us to be held responsible for you?"

"If everyone does their job like they're supposed to, we'll be gone after the fight and you'll never see us again. Screw us over… and you'll never see this guy coming." Dean waved his phone again. It wasn't an empty boast. If anyone could take out a large portion of the Cullen family, it would be Caleb.

"I will see." Alice glared at him.

"Oh yeah?" Sam scoffed at her. "Like you saw us coming for Bella tonight? Might want to get your prescription checked out, Al." The tiny vampire glowered at the massive hunter. "Something tells me you can't see us. You don't know why and it pisses you off big time."

"So let me get this straight." Jake fumed. "So long as you two idiots don't get yourselves killed, we don't have to watch our backs for your buddies."

"That's the short of it Fuzzy." Dean deadpanned. He felt like shit for pulling a stunt like this one on the wolf pack. There was a very real chance he could die up here, and they would suffer if Sam died too. But he had to put Sam first.

Dean crossed the distance to Jake and risked standing so close that the giant had to lean down to hear the hunters softly whispered words. "My brother is my responsibility. He makes it out at all costs."

"Even at the cost of one of my brothers?" Jake said in a low growl.

"Sam and I can hold our own in a fight. You saw that. I don't trust those stinking vampires an inch – and neither do you." Jake just glowered down at him, but he couldn't refute what was said.

Jake swallowed hard, seemed to hold his breath and count down in an attempt to calm his temper. After a few seconds, he said, "You two go no where without a guard. Do you hear me? No where."

"You gonna hold my hand when I gotta take a leak?" Dean smirked at him, trying to make a joke because he felt it was really important to get Jake to calm down. He was still shaking.

Jake lashed out with a vicious right hook to Dean's jaw. His head snapped back and he nearly lost his balance from the force of the impact. Reeling, Dean held a hand to his jaw and stood back up to defend himself from Jake. Sam stepped forward and Edward grabbed Bella to pull her away from the two.

But the next blow didn't fall. Jake, quivering from head to toe, pointed a finger at him and hissed, "No where." Jake turned on his heel and stalked back to the tree line.

Spoiler Below!!

A/N: And I've made no secret to being a Dean girl, but the episode the other night "Changing Channels" (which I've been waiting for ever since they gave us the spoiler showing the boys in the Horatio Caine suits) hands down goes to Sam!! Well done Jared, that was awesome! Really hope they come up with a cure for Genital Herpes – don't want you missing out on all the action out there what with your case of the Clap you got from the He-Witch last week. Women everywhere would be weeping at the loss ;D

"Mr. Trickster no like pretty-boy angel." *Evil snickering* Loved that part.


	14. Leah

Disclaimer: I love this part where I say they aren't mine, and then I do whatever I want to them.

A/N: I am so excited to be posting this chapter. I've been tweaking it all week. _*Happy grins*_

13. Leah

Leah hated asking the douchebag for anything. She _really_ hated it. But the clueless human in front of her – so good looking it should be illegal – wasn't getting her drift that she wanted him to follow her. He just stared at her with a quizzical look on his face as she sat in front on him, nodding her head towards the tree-line.

_What is it Lassie? Human gonna get a few teeth marks in his ass? _Embry teased her from his location near the other brother. She and Embry had landed the detail of being their guard. Leah rolled her eyes and ignored him. Dean looked at her questioningly, as if asking if he really saw a giant wolf rolling its eyes.

_Little help here pale and creepy?_ She directed at Edward who was several feet away and the stink rolling off of him was enough to make her want to gag.

"Perhaps if you asked nicely," was his terse reply.

_Okay, ask him to follow me, or I will nicely rip your fucking face off_.

The hunter was looking from the vamp to her, obviously still at a bit of a loss at the whole situation. She didn't blame him. It had been a night of unimaginable revelations for her as well. It never crossed her mind that she wasn't a werewolf. Really… You explode into a giant wolf and you're not a werewolf? That there are so many things that they could have been, that they had to narrow it down to a couple of different supernatural species, and the hunter and his brother finally came up with – of all things – a fictional creature from the Potter-verse.

Animagus. Honestly!

"Always so charming." Edward sneered. Leah smiled to herself. She loved getting under the bloodsucker's skin.

"What's he saying to you?" Dean asked the leech.

"She wants you to follow her."

"She?"

"Yes. Leah wants to talk to you for herself, but won't phase to her human form around us. I really don't understand why not. She stinks so bad, none of us could possibly imagine trying to bite her." Edward said condescendingly as he tucked a strand of Bella's hair behind her ear. He hadn't let her move more than a foot away from him since the good looking one had taken his knife away from his throat. That image would be one she would treasure for years to come.

_Would you be so lovey-dovey with her if Jake had fucked her while you were away, Bitch?_ Leah threw at him. Edward winced at the image that must have cropped up in his freak-mind at that little nugget of information.

"Leah, you continually remind me of how much I miss the days when young ladies spoke like young ladies and not sailors." Edward growled.

_You can't read that brainless bimbo's mind you Fucktard. I'll bet you she's thought about screwing Jake_. Leah taunted him. _Can you blame her?_ _You were gone for months and Jake was there for her. She was always with him… You don't know what they might have done. I know he climbed through her bedroom window once. Think that was for a social visit? A middle of the night social visit?_

The leech's face froze with anger. Bella tensed as Edward rounded on Leah.

"What'd she say?" Dean demanded.

_Leah!_ Sam's voice hit her in her mind like a damned sledgehammer. _Stop provoking the mind-reader_.

"Yes." Edward hissed, anger and venom rolling off him. "Do what you're told you little castaway."

Leah's mind went red with anger. I _am going to rip your balls off you sonofabitch._

"Poor Leah. You weren't enough to hold onto him and you know it." Edward whispered with malice. "You're broken."

"Edward. Stop." Bella was pulling at his shirt, trying to get him to walk away because Leah's teeth were bared and she was crouching like she was ready to spring.

_I'll show you broken you bloodsucking fuck_. Leah conjured up the image of Sam finding Bella in the woods the night Edward left her. Edward recoiled at the image and Leah snarled before launching herself at the leech. She was broadsided by a giant brown wolf.

Sam. Goddamn Sam.

Edward hissed and Sam turned on him, snarling too. _Stop it. We're here to help you and you are so oblivious that you don't realize how much we're sacrificing to be here_.

_Get out of my way Sam!_ Leah snapped at him.

_Leah!_ Sam turned and snarled at her. _Stop this right now!_

Anger rippled through her body. _This isn't over asshole_. Leah cursed at Edward before showing him her tail and walking away. The human was standing there with his mouth open and his knife drawn, not sure of what he was supposed to do. But he obviously sided with the wolves over the vampires, if the looks he was shooting the leech were any indication.

Leah walked right up to the man, nudged his side with her shoulder and walked to the trees without looking back. She could hear him pause a moment, heard the knife slide back into its sheath, and heard him start to walk after her.

When the human had called his friend on his cell earlier, and told him that if they didn't make it out alive, that the friend was supposed to bring all their hunting buddies to kill them… To say that didn't sit well with anyone was an understatement. There had been a lot of yelling and growling going around between the humans, the leeches and the wolf pack before Carlisle called a truce on the matter and Sam reluctantly followed suit. The pack mind is a difficult place to be, and when everyone gets riled up, they feed off each others emotions. It can get so bad that it's hard to tell if you're really angry, or if you're feeling someone else's anger. Leah had been angry. There was absolutely no doubt that she wanted nothing more than to shove that cell phone up the idiot's ass and pray that it was on vibrate. He had threatened them all, and she was pissed. The pack mind had been such a tornado of anger and rage, that it was hard to distinguish one wolf's thoughts from another. It had taken a moment for her to hear her brother's concern for their mom's safety. A lot of the heat went out of her anger then. Not because she no longer felt threatened… no. But because she understood. This one was looking out for his brother, and wanted his brother to get out alive at all costs. Jake had been mulling the hunter's words over when he phased back after decking the guy, and Leah had gotten a good reading on Jake's mood – which was livid. But she understood the desperate drive to protect your family. He had flat out told Jake that it didn't matter what happened to him so long as his brother got out. And Leah understood that completely. She had even swallowed her pride the other day and begged Sam not to allow Seth to join the upcoming fight. Sam had balked. He wanted Seth to learn and you had to learn by experience – said the kid was too soft hearted and needed to fight. And all Leah could think of while she pleaded with her ex was that losing Seth was too much for their mom to take. That Sue Clearwater had made her promise to watch out for her little brother.

So yeah, she understood where the guy was coming from. She didn't like it, but she understood.

She reached the tree line and paused to allow the human to catch up. He began to walk into the forest by her side. She had to give him credit. He had guts. She was close enough to hear his heart beating and it was smooth and steady. He wasn't afraid of her in the least. It would be easy to leap at him and tear him in two – there was no way he could defend himself with her so close. All she'd have to do would be to snap her jaws around his leg and sever that major artery in his thigh. So easy. But she didn't want to. Not because of the fight his death would start, but because she kind of admired him. He and his brother were as human as you got, and they fought like heroes. Being tough went a long way with her, which is why she had no patience for that idiot Bella. Not to mention that the hunters were just so damn pretty. She couldn't remember ever attributing the term 'pretty' to a man, but that was the word for them, and she knew by the way he swaggered when he walked, this was a man used to turning girl's heads when he walked into a room.

"It's Leah, right?" Dean asked her. She nodded without looking at him. "Tell me something Leah. Is that Edward guy always such a dick? I mean, I've been tailing him for like two days now and I gotta tell ya… Douchebag."

Leah couldn't pretend to be stoic after what he said. She rubbed her muzzle against her forepaw and snickered. When she looked up, he was grinning down at her.

_Oh, you have got a nice smile_.

_Leah?_ Embry called. _Leah what are you doing?_

_Screw off for a while Call, I just want to talk to my charge for a minute_.

_Charge? You sound like Daddy Warbucks_.

_If you tell me you've ever seen the movie 'Annie' I will tease your ass forever_.

_Why are you two in the woods?_

_I'm gonna have sex with him. _She rolled her eyes,_ I'll be back in five minutes_. She felt Sam jerk to attention.

_Leah!_ Embry admonished her.

_Relax. I just want to talk to him for a few. Pull your panties outta your ass_.

_You're gonna phase out? Here? With all the leeches around?_

_Send out a howl if any bloodsuckers leave the clearing and I'll phase right back_.

_Okay. Just be careful_.

_He's human. What's he gonna do to me?_

_He kicked Paul's ass_.

_Hey!_ Paul was still ticked about getting launched into the rocks. It was the reason why Sam told him 'no' when he offered to babysit the big one.

_That wasn't mine, that was yours. Besides, he kicked Eddie's ass and I want to congratulate him_.

_You yell if you need help. Don't try to show off how tough you are. You just fucking yell._

_Okay mom_. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. Having a bunch of idiots thinking they had to protect you just made her want to kick their asses even more. She did not need a man to take care of her. She wasn't helpless like Bella Swan.

She stopped on the trail near a large rock and the human stopped next to her. She nudged him with her shoulder towards the direction of the rock.

"Do you want me to wait here?" He pointed at the boulder.

She nodded and trotted into the trees to phase when he leaned casually against the rock. Once she'd gone far enough that the tree cover and the darkness would shield her, she let the heat take over her and morphed back into her human self. She could feel her bones re-aligning, her organs shifting, and the cool night air kissing her fevered, naked skin. She knelt to un-wrap the bundle of clothes bungie-corded to her ankle. Pulling the grey shorts and red t-shirt on, she stood and walked back out to the trail and her human.

She was absently running her hands through her short, untidy hair – pulling twigs and leaf scraps out – that she didn't immediately see his first reaction to seeing her. When she did look up, it was to see him standing dumbly next to the rock, mouth agape, and staring. She felt herself flush at his unabashed ogling – she wasn't used to that. All the boys she knew wouldn't dare to look at her that way… not without getting a slug to the jaw for their trouble. So it was a bit of a trip that this ridiculously handsome human was staring at her like that. His eyes just ate her up, head to toe and back again – and she _liked_ it.

When she noticed his green gaze lingering on her chest she realized that she didn't carry a bra around with her, and he had noticed. _Aww crap_. She cursed as she could smell the want rolling off of both of them. The air was close and unmoving here in the trees. He surrounded her. Leather and gun oil and toothpaste and soap. And she couldn't allow him to think he got to her that. She had her pride, and she wasn't going to let this guy work her like he undoubtedly did any other air-head chick he flashed that totally panty-melting smile at.

"Hey!" She snapped, clicking her fingers in front of her chest to get his attention. She then pointed her fingers at her face, making sure she was giving him an appropriate scowl.

"Sorry… Just… Huh." He stammered out.

"Just what?" She snipped as she walked closer to him. God she could smell the lust rolling off him and it settled itself south of her stomach.

"Just… I was expecting a girl. I wasn't expecting someone so smokin." He grinned at her and it hit her hard.

_Oh sweet Jesus, I'm in trouble_.

"What happened to that scent-thingy you were wearing?" She asked bluntly. All she wanted was to breathe him in, but she knew that would be a mistake. He just smelled so appealing – so manlike. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. She could almost feel herself salivating at the idea of pinning him against the rocks.

"What? This?" He pulled a chord out of his pocket and dangled it in front of her.

She nodded. She could feel this thing – this fire – bubbling up in her from her core, and all she could think was '_I'm a bitch in heat_'. The irony of that statement didn't escape her.

"I took it off a minute ago. I didn't think I had to hide anymore." He shrugged.

"Please put it back on." She said, not daring to come any closer to the human for fear of jumping him. She tried not to think about how long it had been since the last time she'd had sex and she swallowed hard.

He looked at her questioningly. "I thought you wolves didn't eat people."

"We don't. We eat human food." She replied. She didn't want to tell him what kind of effect he was having on her – and it wasn't food related. "I don't want you tempting the bloodsuckers," she lied. "That Jasper has a control issue." That wasn't completely a lie.

"Yeah," he drawled as he pulled the amulet back on. "Dude has a total quiet rage thing going on." He tucked the trinket under his shirt so it pressed against his skin, immediately cutting off the mind-numbing effects of his scent induced sex-appeal. Now, she only had to avoid looking directly at the sun to avoid getting blinded.

A slight breeze brushed past them and Leah took a deep breath to clear her head. It was better than before, she only had a residual amount of his scent clinging to the walls of her nose, and those were most likely in her mind. She walked forward to sit on the rock, and the human sat next to her, watching her face with shrewd scrutiny.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked her.

"Go ahead."

"The wolf watching my brother… Can I count on him?"

"Embry? Sure. Good fighter, level headed. It's why he was given the job."

He bit his lower lip and nodded. "So why did you want to talk to me?" He asked softly.

Now that he asked the question, she wasn't entirely sure of the answer. Why did she want to talk to him? Oh yeah…. But that didn't apply now, now she wanted to understand _him_, not just his motives for protecting his brother.

"Why are you here?" She asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"This is our job." He shrugged. "We've been hunting evil all our lives. And when we heard about the killings in Seattle, my brother and I knew something was up. So we did some digging and wound up here. The Cullens gave off a red-flag creep factor, we dug some more, and here we are."

"You say this is your job?" She asked incredulously. He nodded. She couldn't imagine choosing this sort of lifestyle. Hell, she wished she was still in the dark about the supernatural, instead of being a mutant she-wolf. "How did you end up in this sort of thing?" She wanted to know more about what made this man tick.

He seemed to draw away from her a bit, twisting a silver ring around his finger. She didn't think he was going to answer, that she'd asked the wrong question, when he said softly. "My mom was killed when I was little. Sammy was just a baby." He swallowed hard. "It was a demon that did it. My dad vowed to kill it. He spent the rest of his life searching for the damn thing, and it took him from us too."

Her mind reeled. _Demons are real too? Fuck_.

"I'm sorry." Leah whispered. The pain pouring out of his clipped words cut into her soul. She knew all too well the pain that went along with losing a parent. And although it wasn't a demon that murdered her father, Leah knew to her very being, that her father's heart attack had been because of her and her brother. The stress of his children morphing into giant wolves was too much for his poor heart. "Is your demon still out there?" She asked quietly.

"No." His voice went hard and the finality of it sent a chill down her spine. "No, I killed him about a year ago. He won't be ruining anymore family's lives."

Leah folded her hands in her lap and nodded. And she thought she'd had it rough.

"Can I ask you something else?" He was still twisting the ring around his finger.

"What?"

"Why did the mind-reader call you a castaway?" He still didn't look at her and she found that she didn't want him to. She didn't want him to see the pain that crept into her eyes at the term.

"Because he's a dick." She growled. "And… because I am," her voice trailed off into a whisper.

"Why?"

Leah took a long deep breath. This guy just told her about his family's demonic murders, and she was going to balk about telling him about being dumped? "Sam… our Alpha… we used to be together before this whole wolf mess started."

"You mean you haven't been phasing your whole lives?"

"No. It only started several months ago. Sam was the first. The first time he phased, he didn't know what was going on, he went wild and couldn't change back. He ran around in the mountains for days. We launched a big search party for him, me and his mom. We combed those woods for days, but we never found him. On the fourth day, he managed to phase back. He went to my house, but the only one there was my cousin Emily. She was there to man the phones while the rest of us were out searching. And Sam imprinted on her." She finished bitterly.

"Imprinted?" His eyebrow cocked up at the unfamiliar term.

"It's a wolf thing. He recognized her as his soul-mate, and he never looked at me the same again. Broke up with me that day."

"What an idiot."

Leah snorted a sad little laugh. She'd called him much, much worse.

"What was it like the first time you phased?"

"Scary. The worlds worst acid trip. I thought I was losing my mind. All these voices were suddenly in my head." She twisted her fingers around themselves as she remembered it. She'd never voiced her thoughts about the whole thing before, she wasn't like that – she didn't do the EMO thing. But this man next to her was looking at her with an expression that was so far from pity, that she couldn't stop herself. It was like he wanted to understand too and she suddenly _wanted_ him to understand her.

"I'm the only female wolf in our tribe's history. So several weeks after Sam left me, no one thought to tell me that what I was feeling was the beginnings of my transformation. I was pretty down about the whole Sam thing, I mean, he left me for my cousin – she was the sister I never had, and it was tough. At first I thought I was getting sick. Nausea, fever, nightmares. Then I thought I must be pregnant. I won't go into specifics, but being pregnant seemed the plausible problem." Leah didn't mention missed periods, driving to Port Angeles to buy a pregnancy test, and instead of seeing a negative or positive symbol on the indicator, it was blank. So she went back to Port Angeles to buy two more, thinking the first one was defective. But they did the same thing and she was terrified.

"I was scared. I didn't know how to tell my mom or dad. I had to go see Sam and tell him my suspicions. I still didn't know about the wolf thing. I knew he started suddenly hanging out with the younger guys around the Rez instead of his old friends, and he spent a lot of time with the Council. I went to his house, and I came out of the path in the woods, and saw him kissing Emily on the back porch. It was the first time I'd seen them together like that, and I started shaking. I though it was from temper and nerves. Sam looked up and saw me there, both of them looked guilty at being caught by me. Emily went inside and Sam walked over to me. He asked me what I wanted so I blurted out that I thought I was pregnant. He told me that he was sorry, but that it wouldn't change anything between us. Then he started to walk away from me.

"I was furious. I just told him I was pregnant with his child, and he turned his back on me. Everything went red. I was shaking all over and I was hot. I lunged at him, but I just… exploded. I knocked him to the ground and that's when I noticed that I'd changed – that I had paws instead of hands and I could hear voices in my head.

"So I was rolling around on the ground with my paws over my ears, clawing at my head. I thought I'd snapped. Sam was yelling at me to calm down, and I could hear the voices shouting out things like, '_is that Leah?_' and '_what the fuck?_' Then they started telling me to calm down, that they were on the way. I recognized the voices as Jake and Quil and Jared. It didn't make it any easier. Sam was trying to pull my paws away from my ears and he was yelling at me to calm down – that I was okay and I was thinking that I was _anything_ but okay. Then he stood up, stripped off his clothes right there in the back yard and phased right in front of me. Then I could hear Sam in my head. He gave me my first ever Alpha command to stop fighting. And you can't disobey an Alpha command. I just rolled onto my belly, shaking and trembling.

"Then he told me that this is what happened to him when he disappeared two months before. He told me everything, about the other guys who had changed, about imprinting… about the Cullens. He took me in front of the Elders Council that night to tell them that I'd joined the pack. My dad sat on the council, and it was news to him. Then Sam let the other shoe drop when he told them that I might be pregnant with his child. My dad had a mild heart attack right there in front of me. Old Quil shoved some aspirin in his mouth and told him to bite down on them. It probably saved his life. He played it down to everyone that asked about it afterwards, saying it just bad indigestion. Then, a couple weeks later, my little brother Seth started running a temperature." She stopped to take a ragged breath. "I would have sold my soul to keep my little brother from having to live this life." She spat.

She was surprised when the human grabbed her hands in his and gripped them tight. "Selling your soul is a very real thing, Leah." He growled. "Promise me you'll never say those words again." She looked up into his green eyes that were burning with intensity and quiet rage, and she thought that this guy must know what he was talking about.

She looked back to her lap. "My dad died of a heart attack just after Seth started phasing."

"I'm sorry."

She nodded.

"So you weren't pregnant?" He asked, still holding onto her hands but not so forcefully. He was running his thumb over the back of her hand and it felt nice.

"No. This wolf thing just messed everything up in there." She looked off into the trees. Edward's words haunting her – '_you're broken…_'

_Fuck you Edward_. She hissed, knowing he could hear her.

"It was a rough couple of months though. It wasn't as if I could go see a doctor about it. What if they did an ultra-sound and it was a fucking puppy?" She tried to joke about it. He didn't smile, sensing that it wasn't a half-hearted joke but a real possibility. "There's never been a female wolf. There was nowhere I could go and no one I could ask. Things were tense for everyone because we can all feel each other's emotions when we're running. Seth was so pissed at Sam about the whole thing."

"Is Seth the one going up in the mountain with Bella tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yes. And that selfish little bitch wants to try to convince him to bring her back down to the fight." She bit out.

"And you were the wolf that growled at her." He stated.

She nodded. "It just pisses me off how selfish she can be."

"How so?"

"If she wants to be with Edward, he'll have to change her – there's no way around it. And once he does, she'll have to cut out everyone in her old life. Her dad, Charlie, well… he was my dad's best friend. He was 'Uncle Charlie' until I was thirteen. And Charlie is a good man and he loves his brat of a daughter. Ever since Dad died, Charlie has been trying to help my mom out, and trying to spend time with Seth. I can see what's happening between him and mom, even if they don't yet. I don't like it, but she's lonely and I want her to be happy because she's too young to spend the rest of her life alone… And mom could do worse than Chief Charlie Swan."

"So you'd rather Bella be with Jake?" He raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed.

"Jake is an idiot, but he deserves better than her. I just didn't like how she strung him along, and then ditched him when the corpse came back. I mean… It is _sickening_ how much he cares for her."

"But they could have lived a normal life together?" He prodded.

"Normal is relative." She stated. He laughed outright at that and Leah loved the sound of it. "At least she wouldn't have to fake her own death to be with him."

Dean laughed again. It was a nice sound – genuine and from the belly. "So let me get this all straight. You got ditched by an idiot, screwed over by genetics, crapped on by fate, and now you have to help the vampires get out of their own mess because a wolf and a vampire both have a hard-on for a girl who can't walk without tripping on something. Did I get it all?"

"That really just about sums it up." She laughed with him because his smile was infectious.

"Well, I think I can help you out with one of your problems at least." He grinned mischievously at her.

"And what's that?" She laughed some more.

"The surest cure for a broken heart is to have wildly incredible sex with a handsome stranger, who your ex is sure the hate with a passion."

"But do you think I'm your brother's type?" She tried to ask with a straight face and not quite succeeding.

"His name is _Sam_." Dean mock frowned at her.

"Oh. Yeah. Bad idea. I'll never have another Sam in my bed again."

"We can't keep calling them both Sam. It'll get confusing."

"Well I'm certainly not about to start calling Sam Uley 'Mr. Alpha'." She grimaced.

"We could just shorten it to AssHat."

"That works." She nodded. She liked the sound of that.

"You know," he said leaning in closer to her. "You could just pretend we had sex together, just to piss him off." He winked at her and it sent a jolt of lightening down her spine. "Just make sure to let him know it was better with me than he could ever do."

"Can you go longer than six minutes? 'Cuz it wouldn't take much more than that to out-perform him."

The look of disgust that crossed his face was priceless. "Are you kidding me? You're lucky to be rid of him! Six minutes!?"

She laughed again. She hadn't felt so lighthearted in months. Not with Sam being in her head all the time and the other boys being jerks and her kid brother able to hear all her private thoughts. It was nice to be so carefree for a few minutes, and it was nice to share the load on her shoulders with someone who didn't pity her. There was no pity in Dean, sympathy maybe, but definitely no pity. And it was hard not to take him up on his offer. She couldn't lie to herself about that one. The idea of sleeping with the rugged hunter had her nearly purring with delight. If he hadn't put his amulet back on, she would have jumped him the second the words were out of his mouth. She still might.

"We should get back before they come looking for us." She said with great effort, prying her reluctant hand out of his grip and heaving herself off the rock and walking a couple of steps towards the trees.

"Can I ask something else?" She heard him slide off the rock.

"What is it?" She turned to face him.

"Why do want to be alone when you phase? It wouldn't freak me out, and… I'd kinda like to see it." He sounded kind of shy when he said it, and she found it endearing.

"Well… it's because we're naked when we phase, or else our clothes get shredded and I'm running kinda low."

"Naked?" His eyes perked up. "Okay, I definitely want to see now."

"You keep your head turned you perv." She swatted at his arm, "…or else I'll bite your ass."

"Promise?" He asked hopefully. She swatted him again but he grabbed her arm deftly and pulled her up against him, locking her in place with a strong arm around her waist. "Feisty. I like that." He winked at her and her knees buckled slightly. His lips were so close…

Those perfect fucking lips…

_Sweet Jesus_.

He was willing her closer and she was complying. Her heart rate was climbing and she was being pulled closer to him by unseen forces stronger than gravity. Her lips parted slightly and her breathing quickened. Her heart was hammering in her chest so hard she thought he could surely feel it with the way he was holding her so tight to him. A foggy haze entered her brain, blanking out all logical thought and leaving only want in its place.

The want pleaded with her to just give in and go for it.

It called her by her name.

A wolf howled in the clearing, breaking the spell the hunter had on her. "We've got to get back." She pushed away from him and sprinted for the trees, hoping none of the others would notice her emotional state when she dropped back to four legs.

A/N: This has been one of my favorite chapters so far. I wasn't much of a Leah fan during SM's books, but I read a fic about her on this site called 'The Dawn was Already Broken' by Foreverwithouthim. It's 'Breaking Dawn' from Leah's perspective, and after that, Leah totally rocks in my book. Anyone looking for a good read and a great laugh, check it out. Seriously, you won't regret it.

And I hope that those of you who are sticking with me could see this in your heads like I could see it in mine, and that it read to you as it read to me. It was honestly one of the easiest things I ever wrote, the words seemed to flow from my head and landed on the screen like I was on auto-pilot. After an hour and a half, I re-read what was here and thought – 'where the frig did that come from?' So I hope you all enjoyed this, because that was pretty much as fluffy as this little story is gonna get.

And just so I didn't confuse anyone… No. Leah did not imprint on Dean. She just got a major case of what I like to call Dean-itis. It's a really common olfactory disease that affects the brain. It occurs when a woman with a beating heart gets within breathing distance of a man that is just _oozing_ sex-appeal. It causes the brain to shut off all logical thought process and just gets stuck on hummina-hummina-hummina mode, and makes said woman think… well… ;-)

A/N 2: A demon next week named Crowley? How much you wanna bet they'll play Ozzy's 'Mr. Crowley'? I've got my fingers crossed.


	15. Revelations

Disclaimer: Kripke – You're killing me man. I gotta wait _how long_ for a new episode?

14. Revelations 

To say that his first glimpse of Leah hadn't been a giant sucker punch to the gut would be an outright lie. Dirt streaked, dressed for gym class and picking debris out of her untidy, close shorn hair – she was a far cry from the over-processed bar-fly that was his usual prey. Leah was not an impossible beauty like Rosalie, or held a classic loveliness like Esme, but she possessed a rare and wild beauty that was all her own. Tall and lean muscled, she looked like one of those marathon runners you saw on TV that ran thirty miles as if it were jog around the block. That was the other thing about her that threw him. He liked petite women with soft curves and she was built like an athlete – all firm and angular. She was the pure human embodiment of the grace and power that was a wolf and he had been speechless. And after hearing her story – knowing deep down she'd never told anyone her thoughts before – he couldn't help but admire her. She was strong, she was determined, and she was going to give out as many jabs as she got, because there was nothing in her that told her to lie down and take it.

Dean wondered if this was similar to what Sam had felt for Madison. Leah was a woman who could deal with the crazy that was his life. She ran with the supernatural, could walk both lines and fit in either world but belonged to neither. And Dean didn't doubt that Leah would be unafraid to call him on all his bullshit – she'd called him on the chest staring thing. He hadn't meant to. It was just that even though she was small-chested, they were just so damn perky. And the no bra thing? Nice.

It was too bad that he met her weeks before his expiration date. He couldn't even pinpoint the attraction, because she was so far from what he normally sought. If he were to be asked about it, he would try to joke and say it was just because of her animal magnetism. Hell – that may be what it was – but it felt so strong. He felt her with every sense he had, and he couldn't help himself when he grabbed her just before she ran off. He had been so close and had been c-blocked by a wolf cry.

She wasn't far from him now. Her silver coat was glinting in the coming dawn. The wolf howl had been to alert her that Esme was taking Bella home for a few hours sleep before they had to lay the scent trail up the mountain. Edward was still too weak to carry her, although he and Jasper were recovering more quickly than the hunters had ever experienced. He guessed it was because of the animal blood they lived off of. Not only did the animal blood make them less aggressive towards each other and gave them those freak-tastic eyes, but it also seemed to reduce the damage of the poison. He wondered idly what would happen if they shot them full of dead deer blood. Emmett was starting to stir now. The double dose of Dead Man's Blood was finally starting to wear off enough that Rosalie stopped casting the brothers death-stares whenever they crossed her line of sight.

After Esme had taken off with Bella, Edward started to approach him. Leah took a crouched stance, baring her teeth and snarling her fury at the copper-headed snake. Dean recalled the vampire hissing the word 'outcast' at her, and he felt a renewed surge of anger at the kid at that term. Dean didn't know anything about Leah when he'd first called her that, but the term hurled at her stung him just like Jake's punch to the jaw. So much so that he had pulled his knife and was ready to go another round with the mind-reading fucknut. He'd been an outcast his whole life. Even with his own family, he didn't fit in – not really. Sam had run off, then Dad. He was an outcast. He was broken. And Edward was a dick who could reach into your mind and find the words that would hurt you most.

"May I speak with you?" Edward asked him politely, ignoring Leah and her pissed off growling. Dean scanned the clearing looking for Sam. He could see his brother up near the rocks talking to the fortune-teller. Sam's wolf guard was several yards away from them, watching the two with undivided attention. It looked funny to see Sam so close next to Alice. She barely came up to his ribcage, and had to have her head tilted all the way back to look at him, as if she were in the front row at the theater.

Dean turned back to the vamp and scowled. "You're a dick and I think you owe someone an apology." Leah turned her head and snarled at _him_.

_Okay… chivalry won't do me any favors with her_.

But Edward turned to Leah and said, "Leah, I'm sorry I said those unkind things to you earlier. Please accept my apology with my assurance that it will never happen again."

_Lay it on thick don't you asshole_. Dean let that one out from behind the mental blocks. _You don't fool me you pretentious bastard. And you sure as hell don't fool her._

"Leah," Edward ignored Dean's mental barrage, "I'd like a private word with the human if you don't mind."

Leah snarled something that Dean assumed was 'eat shit and die douchenozzle.'

"It will only be a moment. You don't have to go far."

Leah glanced at Sam's wolf further up the clearing. Dean wished he could hear what they were saying to each other, knowing that whatever they said, the mind-reader heard every word. She snapped something at Edward, before trotting several yards away and staring at the leech like her greatest desire was to sink her teeth into his spleen.

"What do you want?" Dean asked brusquely.

"I just want to fill you in on the plan for tomorrow."

"And that is?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"Tomorrow, I will lead Bella into the mountains. Part way up, we will meet up with Jacob, who will carry her the rest of the way to hide her trail so they won't find her up there."

"And when it comes time to fight, where will you be?"

Edward huffed and looked out into the trees. "I will be with Bella and Seth while my family fights down here."

"Pussy whipped ain't cha?" Dean smirked. It really didn't matter to him where the fucker was, just so long as he wasn't fighting next to him.

Edward gritted his teeth and took a deep, unnecessary breath. "It is for her own protection."

"You know what woulda been the best thing you coulda done to protect her?" Dean didn't wait for a response. "If you had walked away from her the moment you first saw her. What were you fucking thinking to get involved with a human girl? How old are you anyway? Old enough to fucking know better I'll bet."

"It's not that simple." Edward growled. "I tried to leave once. It didn't work out for either of us."

"That's what happens when you brainwash people." Dean spat at him.

"I never brainwashed her!" Edward hissed. "I didn't know how bad it would have gotten for her when I left."

"I heard she started to come around with all the time she was spending with Jake. She could have had a semi-normal life with him."

"Werewolves are dangerous."

"So are vampires. And technically, they ain't weres." Dean jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Leah.

"They're still dangerous."

"Can you honestly tell me you've never thought of biting her?"

"I love her." He insisted.

_Yep, you wanted to bite her_. "Yeah – I thought as much." He sneered.

"Bella and I are none of your business." Edward growled.

"And funny enough, we're all here because of you two."

"No one is keeping you here. You're free to leave when ever you want."

"And I'm free to stay here and continue to piss you off." Dean grinned at him. Suddenly Leah was standing beside him, her teeth bared slightly at the vampire. An ominous growl was building in her throat.

Edward frowned at him, but glanced off in Sam and Alice' direction. He smirked, and Dean didn't like the look of that smirk one bit. It sent an urge down his spine that demanded he wipe that look off the idiot's face. Dean glanced in the same direction, and saw Sam stalking towards him with his wolf in tow. There was a deep furrow in his brother's forehead that was usually reserved for him when he pissed the kid off. Dean wondered what had been said between Sam and the shrimp to put that look of irritation there.

"Excuse me." Edward smirked again and started to walk away. "I need to talk to my sister." Dean didn't miss the appraising look the vamp gave Sam as they passed, and he didn't miss the dark look that Sam shot Eddie.

"What's all that about?" Dean asked his brother, nodding after Edward's retreating back.

"Nothing." Sam frowned. "Just stick close together – okay?"

"Oookaaay." Dean said slowly, curious as to why Sam was hovering over him.

"And stick close to your wolf."

Dean snorted in laughter and backed up a step to get some of his personal space back. "No problem there. My wolf is a fox." He said proudly, fanning himself and ginning at Leah who trotted up to Sam's wolf. Dean wondered what the two wolves were talking about.

"Dawn's coming. Let's get back to the car and try to get some sleep before they bring Bella back."

"Why do we need to hang around? They're making the scent trail tomorrow." Dean's forehead scrunched up wondering why Sam thought they had to stick around for that. They weren't running – not now.

"We're going with them to add to the scent trail. We hike up with them until they meet up with Jake, then we come back down the way we went up. Only on the way down, we lay a bit of a blood trail."

"A blood trail?" Dean cocked an eyebrow at his brother. _Yeah, that's a great idea. Let's just chum the waters Sam_.

"Jasper says that the newborns will be wild at the scent of human blood. They won't be able to focus on anything but the blood and we'll be able to cut them down easier because they'll be in such a frenzy."

"Just like sharks who'll swim miles because they caught the smell of blood in the water." _So we really are chumming the waters_. _Great._

"Exactly."

"You know there's a problem with that though. The Cullens aren't immune to human blood. Leah said that Jasper has a control issue, and Eddie wants to bite Bella from time to time."

"The other vamps won't be up there with us, and Jasper said that as long as we put on our amulets when we get back and aren't openly bleeding around them, they can control themselves."

"Alright." Dean shrugged. "Let's go get a little shut-eye."

They started the long hike back down to the car. They could go faster now with the sky lightening and they didn't need to move so stealthily anymore. Plus, they told the wolves where the car was parked and the two animagii cut through the woods in a direct line and had them back to the car in less than forty minutes. There wasn't much said between the two brothers, although Sam continued to hulk over him the whole way. Dean didn't miss the look of worried concern on his brother's face when Sam had left Alice. There wasn't much that Dean missed when it came to his kid brother. Something about that conversation was bothering him and Dean was going to find out exactly what that was once they reached the privacy of the car.

* * *

Earlier:

Sam watched his brother walk into the woods with the silver wolf. He had enjoyed watching the wolf lunge at Edward, and had been disappointed when the large wolf t-boned him mid-air. There was something about Edward that just crawled and prickled under his skin. Sam had done his research before they had hiked up here. He knew the Cullens didn't have any history of violent deaths following them – Edward and his mind-reading, and Alice and her visions were just unnerving. He'd heard lore about vampires with extra abilities, he'd just never come across any other than the run of the mill bloodthirsty parasite.

Except Lenore.

Lenore and her clan had intrigued him. They easily could have killed him when they jumped him. Instead, they tried to reason with him and let him go on good faith and he'd been unable to protect them from that vengeful bastard Gordon Walker. There were a lot of things that Sam regretted doing in his life. First and foremost was leaving Jessica alone that weekend. Second was turning his back on Jake back at Cold Oaks and letting that bastard knife him in the back. If Sam had just killed him like he should have, none of this would be happening now. Dean wouldn't be looking at an eternity as Hell's shiny new toy that all the demons were going to want a shot at playing with.

Those were his biggest regrets – killing Jake and that psychopath Gordon didn't even register.

Carlisle intrigued him too. Obviously the head of the family, the good doctor exuded a calmness and a compassion that Sam had seldom come across before. He could have let his family attack them head on. Eventually, the numbers would have worked against him and Dean and they would have been overwhelmed – especially once the wolf pack arrived. But Sam sensed that Carlisle's influence held the others back in lieu of a full out attack and possible death. He meant it when he'd said he didn't want bloodshed. The Cullens were trying to make the best of a bad situation. Like Lenore, they were trying to live above what had happened to them. They didn't hunt people – only animals – even if they found it disgusting.

Sam prayed for Lenore.

He prayed that there was more to life than just living up to the monster within. Because there was a monster inside of him. A darkness that whispered to him in the night – called his name and begged him to come home. And then there was Ruby. The demoness who would appear out of nowhere to tell him he has what it takes to kill Lilith once and for all if he'd only let her teach him…

And Lilith.

The bitch holding his brother's contract. The demon who could end everything if they could only find her. Find her and kill her if they only knew how and they hadn't had a whiff of her in weeks even if they knew how to ice the bitch in the first place. The bitch was off the radar and Ruby was no help and Bela stole the Colt and now that skank was roasting in hell and Sam found it hard to feel bad for her because she had screwed them over too many times to evoke much sympathy. And they had helped her! That irked him to the core because they had helped her and she screwed them over anyway. And they still would have helped her out of her demon deal if she'd asked for it. They could have used the Colt to hunt down and kill Lilith and then Bela and Dean would both be free and Sam wouldn't have to be up in this fucking mountain range trying to save a foolish human girl and her vampire In-Laws when the only real concern running through his head was how to save his brother.

All this flitted through his brain as he watched the head vampire walking towards him with his wife beside him. Physically, Esme wasn't much more than her mid-twenties. She just had a demeanor that screamed mini-van and soccer-mom. Sam's wolf was a silent shadow behind him, never coming near and never straying far and he tensed as the vampires approached. They halted a respectful several yards away.

"May we have a word?" Carlisle asked. Esme was twisting her fingers around themselves nervously.

"Sure," he nodded. "Go ahead."

"Your brother…" Carlisle halted, seemingly uncertain on how to go on. Sam didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow in the air and waited. "…No one in my family will harm you in any way. The threat your brother made to us isn't necessary. We will do all in our power to ensure your safe return to your friends."

"That's real nice of you Doc. Excuse me." Sam said shortly and started to walk away, feeling like shit because Dean had made a very real threat to these people and it wasn't as if he could just rescind it. If he and his brother didn't make it out of here, Caleb would make good on that threat. There was nothing that would stand in his way to get his vengeance on this family, or the wolves for that matter. Caleb would keep hunting until he'd killed them all, or was killed in the process because that was just the way he was wired. When Sam had said 'precautions' earlier, he meant more along the lines of anyone gets too close and they get a dose of poison for their trouble. He hadn't wanted anyone else dragged into this mess.

"Please!" Esme whispered, darting up and laying a cold hand on his elbow. The wolf snarled as Sam turned and yanked his arm out of her grasp. Her face flooded with hurt as she pulled her hand back and crossed her arms protectively across her chest. He felt a fresh wave of _fuck-I'm-an-ass_ wash over him. How the hell could a vampire be so mommy-esque? Physically, she wasn't much older than he was and she made him feel as if she'd caught him stealing quarters from her purse. He had pulled away because she had taken him by surprise and she was so freaking cold – not because he was disgusted by her.

The wolf was still snarling and Sam waved a hand at him distractedly. "It's okay…She didn't mean anything by it." He turned back to Esme. "I'm sorry I reacted that way. I wasn't expecting that."

"Please," she pleaded, starting to reach out to him again before stopping mid-air and pulling her hands back to grip her own elbows. "This is my family. I'm sure you understand the need to do whatever is necessary to protect your family from harm. I know you have the wolves for protection, and they will look out for you during the fight because for centuries they have been the natural protectors of this area. But Carlisle and I would like to be near you as well. The newborns will head straight for you, and you will need as many of us as can be spared from the perimeter to keep you safe. Our children and the rest of the wolves will circle in on them once they enter the clearing, but you and your brother will be in the most danger."

"Thank you Mrs. Cullen." Sam said respectfully. He was actually touched at the genuine concern in her words. "My brother and I are no strangers to impossible odds – trust me – we can look out for ourselves. And we'll have plenty of arrows to slow down the newborns when they arrive. Just make sure that you and your family don't cut yourselves on poisoned arrowheads. We need everyone fighting if we're gonna get this thing done."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded her head, accepting his quasi-apology. They all looked to the left as Jasper and Alice made their way over to the group. Jasper was still leaning on Alice slightly, but was a lot better then he'd been earlier. The fact that he was recovering so fast upset Sam. It had been less than an hour since the guy was shot and he should still be writhing useless on the ground, not walking around using his girlfriend as a crutch. The newcomers stopped next to their 'parents' and Sam felt Jasper and Alice both giving him the once-over.

"Something you want?" Sam quirked an eyebrow at the rangy vampire, channeling his inner Dean.

"Yes." Jasper nodded at him. His voice was stronger now, not the gasping death rattle that it had been earlier. "Tomorrow, Edward is going to lead Bella into the mountains to lay a scent trail for the newborns to follow here. He'll meet up with Jacob partway, where Jacob will carry her the rest of the way to conceal her scent."

"So?" Sam asked belligerently. Jasper creeped him the hell out and having him so near had Sam wishing he could pull the machete from its sheath on his back.

"We want you to go with them to add to the scent trail. When the newborns enter the clearing, they will see you there and head straight for you, ignoring the rest of us who will close in on them and fence them in." Jasper was looking straight into Sam's eyes while he spoke, and Sam was not going to give him the pleasure of looking away first.

"Okay, but the wolves come with us." Sam jerked his thumb over his shoulder at his wolf-guard who had come nearer when the young couple approached. Sam could _feel_ the animosity that the wolf had for the vampires. He was practically vibrating with it.

"That's fine," Alice chipped in, "so long as they aren't walking over your trail after you lay it." She turned her head to address the wolf when a low growl escaped his muzzle. "Just walk out to the sides at about ten yards. Honestly, we aren't going to attack the humans. If they insist on being here, we want to use them to their full advantage."

"What does that mean? Our full advantage?" Sam shot back at her angrily.

"Once Bella leaves with Jacob and you and your brother come back down the mountain, we want you to leave a blood trail to excite the newborns."

"A blood trail?" Sam could feel his eyebrow shoot up into his hairline.

"Not a lot." Jasper qualified. "Just a few drops here and there. It will make them go blood-crazy and they will be less concerned about the threat that will encircle them. We'll be able to mow them down with hardly a scratch."

Sam thought it over. It was a good idea, and it wasn't as if he and his brother were squeamish about spilling their own blood. "Alright. But if my brother and I are going to be such huge targets for this incoming army…" he looked at Carlisle and Esme, "…then you two will definitely be at ground zero with us."

Esme bit her lip and nodded. "Of course. Thank you."

"You okay with that?" He asked his guard. The wolf just grinned a fierce wolfy-grin and Sam took that to mean he was all onboard with the idea.

"I'd like a word with the human alone if you all don't mind." Alice chirped happily, looking pointedly at the wolf. Sam didn't like the sound of it at all. To him it was as pleasant as fingernails down a chalkboard.

The wolf growled at her as the rest of the Cullens walked away – Esme claiming she was going to take Bella home while Jasper had a hand on Carlisle's shoulder for support. The wolf let out a howl into the early dawn light, sending a shiver down Sam's spine at the noise so close to him. He then walked up and stood next to Sam, teeth bared at the tiny vampire. It was the closest the wolf had come to Sam the entire time he'd been shadowing him.

"You don't have to go far." She said to the beast, rolling her eyes.

Sam caught movement at the edge of the clearing. It was Dean and the silver wolf coming back. Esme shouted out to him that she was taking Bella home and would be back soon. And then Edward made a beeline right for his brother.

"I swear I won't lay a finger on your human." Alice said exasperatingly at the wolf. "If I come within a foot of him, please, rip me to pieces." She said dryly with another eye-roll. The wolf eyed her critically, before trotting several yards away and sitting down but staring menacingly at the fortune-teller.

"Thank you. This will only take a minute." Alice looked up at Sam then, and he felt a wave of foreboding wash over him. It was the way she was looking up at him… Intense-like. And it was the slow smile that crept across her elfin features. "Aahhh… I see now." She whispered triumphantly and a fresh wave of panic took him. "It's you. You're shielding him. That's why I didn't see you two coming earlier – you're a blind spot like the wolves."

"What are you talking about?" He asked angrily. "Shielding who from what?" Though he had an idea… Probably knew the whole time because he was a freak that way.

"Your brother. I can't see you, but I can see him."

Sam glanced over at his brother talking to Edward. They were arguing and Dean's wolf was several yards away from him. The smile continued to grow on Alice's face.

"What are you Sam?" She whispered, her eyes alight. He scowled at her, not daring to say a word. "Ohhh… There is something different about you."

And Sam knew what it was.

The demon blood.

The blood that Azazel fed him as a baby. The blood that had earned Mary Winchester her death and had pushed John Winchester over the edge, taking him and his sons on a lifelong mission for vengeance. The dirty secret he still kept hidden from his brother out of guilt and shame.

The monster that lurked in his veins.

The one that whispered to him in the night.

Sam's heart started pounding in his chest. Beat right through your ribcage kind of pounding and Alice smiled victoriously at the sound of it.

"Get that wolf over by my brother. Now!" Sam snapped at his wolf. He saw the silver wolf dart to his brother's side, baring his teeth at the mind-reader. "You two planned this didn't you!" He accused her as his wolf was next to him now and snarling at the petite fucking bloodsucker.

"Edward and I just wanted to see what would happen if we separated you." She smiled sweetly as Sam pushed past her and started stalking towards his brother, his wolf following him.

"If you want to go back there and rip her apart… Be my guest." Sam muttered to the animal.

Sam scowled at Edward as the vampire smirked at him in passing. And Sam knew that Edward heard everything that happened between him and Alice because she couldn't block her thoughts from him, nor at that moment, did she want to. They had orchestrated the whole thing and Sam felt sick to his stomach that the curse he never asked for was interfering with his life in even more ways.

_Stupid fucking Yellow-Eyed Demon. Wish I could raise you from the dead just to fucking kill you again you sonofabitch_. He thought angrily.

"What's all that about?" Dean frowned as he looked at him. Sam felt as if the work 'Freak' was flashing across his forehead.

"Nothing." He lied and a look crossed his brother's face. The look that said _you're not fooling me_. "Just stick close together – okay?" Sam did not want Alice 'watching his brother' – not wanting her to see into Dean's near future and his coming death sentence.

"Oookaaay." Dean backed up a step and Sam realized that he was hovering over him – shielding him, as the clairvoyant called it. He had to stop doing that. Dean analyzed every facial tick and eyebrow twitch, and if Sam didn't get it together, Dean was going to call him out on the whole 'nothing' bit.

"And stick close to your wolf." He demanded. If the wolves were a blind spot for the evil little pixie, then he'd have them cover his brother's ass too.

"No problem there. My wolf is a fox." Dean said while smiling at his wolf and fanning himself.

_What? That's a girl?_ And Sam took a good look at the silver wolf. She was definitely smaller than the others, and sleeker too. And it only stood to reason that Dean had already started trying to work his mojo on the girl.

So Sam started filling in his brother about tomorrows plans, and trying to get him out of the clearing and back to the car. He just wanted to put some space between them and the vampires. The wolves led the way when they told them where the car was parked, and Sam had to keep stopping, just so that he wasn't lurking over his older brother the whole way back.

"Baby, you never looked so good." Dean sighed when the dirt road came into view and the car became visible just up the trail. They would just have to sleep in the car – it wouldn't be a first. Because of the early hour, there would be no motel to admit them and they had cleared their room out the night before because they had been planning on hightailing it to Bobby's after they'd kidnapped Bella.

Dean turned to look at the wolves. "We're gonna…" he jerked his thumb at the car, "…Uhh… Where… umm…" Sam shook his head. If Dean was going to ask the chick wolf to get in there with them – he was gonna go sleep in the woods.

Apparently the silver wolf was thinking along the same lines as him because she rolled her eyes, and walked into the ferns hedging the woods. Turning on the spot to trample the vegetation, she curled up on the ground and tucked her tail over her nose. Sam's wolf did the same in the ferns on the other side of the road. If something came from either direction, the wolves would know.

Dean shrugged and unlocked the doors. Tradition from the last couple years stated that Dean slept in the front seat while he got he back. It felt good to get into the car and lay down across the seat, even if the seat was a couple feet too short for him. He hoped that if he feigned sleep quickly enough, than Dean wouldn't ask him any questions about his conversation with Alice.

He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"So…" Dean drawled sleepily from the front seat. "You gonna tell me what you and Madam Cleo's midget were talking about?"

"Dean…" Sam huffed. "I just want to get some sleep. Alright?"

"Well something crawled up your ass and died. I just wanna know what."

"It's nothing."

"The hell it's nothing. You were pretty pissed when you walked away from Tinkerbell." He smirked over the bench seat. "And you've been practically standing on me since you mowed her over." He added. "And what's with the whole 'stay near your wolf' bit?" Dean made his voice go deep and Vader-y in his mocking of his brother.

"Will you just drop it?" Sam said exasperatedly.

"Not 'til you tell me what's going down. I deserve to know." And Dean lost all lightness in his voice. He wanted to know what happened to put the mind-reading fuck into such a good mood.

Sam sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "She can see you."

"Of course she can see me. She has eyes."

"No dude. I mean, she can _see_ you." Sam stressed.

That sunk in. "Oh." He said stupidly. That sucked. "Well… what about you?"

Sam shook his head, refusing to look up. "She doesn't see me. She doesn't see the wolves either so stay close to one of us. We're Alice-proof and I don't want her watching you."

"Why can't she see you?" Dean asked softly, having his suspicions that it had something to do with Yellow Eyes' psychic mumbo-jumbo.

"Don't know. She just can't." Sam huffed angrily, half turning on the back seat – like that was going to make a difference.

"You're still lying to me Sammy."

"Fuck Dean!" He exploded. "I don't know alright!" Sam growled in frustration and raked a hand through his shaggy hair. He sat up and leaned forward to drape his arms over the seat. Dean sat up more to get some of his space back now that Sasquatch was encroaching on it. "It's probably something to do with Azazel. One of his 'Special Kids'." Sam made quotation marks in the air and sneered. "Just another way how he fucked up my life. How he fucked up _our _lives!"

Dean backed up against the door frame. Sam and Yellow-Eyes-angry just didn't mix well and Dean wanted to put a few more inches between him and his brother incase a fist went flying. Because if Sam damaged the Impala, there was gonna be hell to pay. Dean winced a bit at that stupid saying but Sam misconstrued it as coming from what he'd just yelled.

"Look – I'm sorry man. She got under my skin, okay?" Sam apologized, thumping heavily against the back seat as he lay back down.

"It's alright Sammy. Don't worry about it. Let's just get some sleep. In the morning we'll go into town and get something to eat, and we'll go from there. Okay?"

"Yeah… Whatever man." And Sam rolled over and buried his face into the cold leather of the backseat.

* * *

Dean awoke to see golden sunshine filtering through the window. For a moment he thought he must have fallen asleep in another state, as Washington hadn't seen the sun since Christ was a cowboy. Then he saw a piece of paper lodged under the windshield wiper, and his first thought was _who would give me a ticket way the hell out here?_ Then he remembered what had happened last night, what was gonna happen today and what was going down tomorrow morning. Groaning, he rubbed his hand over his face and pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was turned off and when he switched it on, 'five missed called' flashed across the screen. Fuck.

_This ain't gonna be good_, he thought and dialed Caleb's number.

"_Deuce!"_ Caleb's voice filled his ear on the first ring.

"Mornin' Sunshine." Dean croaked sleepily into the cell.

"_What happened to scheduled check-ins you dickhead?"_ Caleb growled. _"I was nearly gonna book a flight up there."_

"You'd never get a machete past airport security." Dean yawned. "Will you forgive me if I tell you I was with a chick last night and it slipped my mind?"

"_A girl? Tell me it was the human who started the whole mess because if you tell me you're tapping a corpse…"_

"Eewww! Gross Dude!" Sammy opened his eyes blearily at his brother's raised voice. "Not one of the vamps you sick shit! One of the wolves!"

"_That is not making me feel any better man. Bestiality? That's fucked up."_

"You're an ass first thing in the morning. You know that Damien?"

"_Although I've woken up to my fair share of Coyote Uglies."_ Caleb ignored him, carrying on with the banter because it was just what they did.

Dean laughed sleepily. "Hey – remember that bar in Jacksonville? The truck-stop waitress with the funny rash?"

"_I couldn't get out of there fast enough."_

"My wolf body-guard is smoking when she's human, man. Fucking unbelievable." Dean looked out the window to see her still curled up in a furry ball in the ferns.

"_Deuce…she ain't human. Tell me you didn't sleep with her."_

"I didn't sleep with her. I got c-blocked."

Caleb laughed at that. _"The runt walk in on you two?"_

"No. Some shit was going down."

Caleb sighed. _"I can't talk you out of fighting with these guys, can I?"_

"We'll be alright man. Don't worry about it. But… ahhh… Listen man. About that call last night…"

"_The one where you told me to annihilate everyone if you bought it?"_

"Yeah… Look… The wolves hate the vampires as much as we do. They can't help what fate fucked them over with. Take them off the hit list alright?"

"_You sure about that? Or are you just getting soft because you wanna rub wolf girl's belly?"_

Dean snorted. "I wouldn't stop there." Sam rolled his eyes at his brother, stretching as much as he could in the confines of the car. "We gotta get going Damien. We'll be in touch later… just don't expect hourly updates."

"_If I don't hear from you every few hours I will book a flight right the fuck up there. I'll hire a goddamn charter plane if I have to."_

"You can't bail on Ethan and Eli until the job's done. Those are the rules."

"_Don't go quoting the rules to me. I __taught__ you the rules."_

"And you screwed them around so that I always got the shit detail while you were sitting pretty somewhere."

"_Being older has its advantages."_

"You know where you can shove your advantages, right old man?"

"_Just promise me you'll be careful."_

"I'll hold Sam's hand when I cross the street. Satisfied?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"_Asshole."_

"I learned from the best." And Dean snapped his phone shut because he and Damien didn't do the whole 'goodbye' thing.

"What's on the window?" Sam nodded towards the windshield.

"Don't know. Just a sec." Dean opened his door and nearly fell out. His bones creaking and protesting as he righted himself. He cursed about getting too old to be sleeping in the car and he winced a bit. Another two weeks and none of that would matter.

The wolves darted up at the noise of the door opening, and it was a little unnerving for first thing in the morning. He caught himself before jumping like a startled rabbit though and managed to cough out a 'mornin' while reaching for the paper. He flipped it open and in elegant flowing script you just didn't see these days,

_Good morning. I hope you've rested well._

_Edward and Bella will begin to lay the trail_

_at noon. I hope you still plan to be there._

_-Carlisle_

"Like we won't fucking be there." Dean scoffed. Then realization set in. "That bloodsucker touched my car?" Dean looked at his baby in horror, imagining cold dead hands running their fingers over the glossy paint of the hood. "That fucker touched my car!"

A/N: Sorry guys, long chapter without much action, but some things had to be set in motion. Forgive me? And one word for last nights episode. It's 'Wow.'


	16. Breakfast

Disclaimer: No. _*imagine a Sammy-huff and eye-roll*_

15. Breakfast 

"That fucker touched my car!" He rounded on the wolves who skipped back a step at his outburst. "How could you let him near my baby?" He shouted. Sam's wolf bared his teeth at him and Leah rolled her eyes in an _'it's just a freaking car idiot'_ look.

Sam had climbed out of the rear seat, stretching so that his shirt rode up his stomach a little. Dean didn't miss Leah giving Sammy an appreciative once-over at the view she was being offered. Sam noticed too and instantly dropped his arms and pulled at the hem of his t-shirt, turning a shade of red as he looked past the grinning silver wolf and to the paper in his brother's hand.

"What's it say?"

"That Doc Fucking Cullen touched my car."

Sam looked skyward as if praying for patience. "Dude. The note."

"They're laying the scent trail at noon and want us back by then."

"What time is it now?"

Dean glanced at his wrist. "Nine." _Wow – a whole four hours sleep_.

"I'm starved." Sam said while sleepily rubbing his stomach.

Dean turned to the wolves. "We're gonna… you know… go into town for some chow." He said awkwardly. Why was it that when he addressed the wolves he didn't know what to say to them? It didn't help that they looked at him as if he were a moron. "If you guys wanna… I… We'll…" _Fuck_.

The wolves darted into the trees and two people came out a moment later. Leah was stunning but tired in the morning sunshine, coming out of the trees running a hand through her short hair. Her boobs were perky even if the rest of her wasn't. The other figure to come out of the woods was nearly as big as Jake, shorter but broadly built. But shorter than Jake still meant he was as tall as Sam, and Dean hid his smile at his brother standing up a little straighter.

Dean didn't miss the double take Sam gave Leah before he gestured at her. "Sam, this is the lovely Leah." Leah nodded at Sam before she turned and smiled at Dean.

The tall Native dude nodded at the brothers. "I'm Embry."

"So you're the one who's going to watch my brother's back?" Dean asked, sizing up the guy and accepting him immediately like he had with Jake. The guy had an easy going demeanor that spoke volumes about him. Although Dean wished these guys wore shirts. Like Jake, Embry wore a pair of shorts and nothing else and Dean was gonna start suffering from a major case of Pec-Envy soon if he wasn't careful.

Embry laughed. "You're lucky you didn't get Paul."

"That the one I kicked into the rocks?" Sam leaned casually against the Impala's open door.

"He deserved it. He was told to back down and he didn't. But I gotta say, even though I was pissed at the time, now it's just funny as hell." Embry shrugged and smiled a wide honest smile. Dean had to admit – he liked this guy too.

"I don't know how your orders work about going into town. If you want to get something to eat with us… or…" Dean floundered. Leah was watching him and as embarrassing as it was, he was distracted by her.

_Come on! Really! I shouldn't be acting like some over-eager, prom night virgin around her_. He chastised himself.

"Breakfast sounds awesome." Leah yawned happily as she stretched cramped muscles. Dean noticed her shirt stretching across her chest and didn't look away fast enough because she snapped her fingers in front of his face again. "Hey!"

"Sorry." _Idiot_.

Leah closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths and Embry was trying not to laugh outright. "Do you mind stopping by my house though?" She asked. "If I walk into Minnie's barefoot again and have to listen to that woman yell at me about my state of dress… I'm gonna give her something to start screamin' about."

"Sure. No problem." Leah could have asked him to drive her to Canada and he would have just to spend a couple hours in the car with her.

"If it's all the same to you," Embry drawled, "I'd rather go home for a few more hours of sleep. It's sunny and the bloodsuckers aren't gonna be anywhere near town."

"Whatever man." Sam shrugged. "Get in, we'll give you a lift."

Embry stood back a minute to admire the classic Chevy. "That is a sweet-ass ride."

Embry's standing with him just shot up another notch. "Thanks man. I rebuilt her myself." Dean said proudly.

"Sweet."

Leah was already getting into the car when Embry came close enough to Dean to murmur softly while passing. "She likes you… but if you aren't careful, she'll eat you alive."

Dean just stared after the guy dumbstruck for a second before claiming his rightful place behind the steering wheel. Embry's words running circles in his head… _she likes you_…

It took them twenty minutes to get to La Push from the trail. The Cult's 'Love Removal Machine' was playing on the radio and Dean was tapping out the beat on the steering wheel happily. Some rock station out of Seattle was giving good reception today. Must have been in a good mood due to the sunshine because all they'd been able to pick up in this town before was country music and some pop station that had promptly been turned off.

Dean couldn't help but constantly glance in the rearview mirror at Leah. She was looking sideways out of the side window, not paying attention to him at all. She looked really tired but it didn't diminish her looks any – not in his eyes. Dean could feel something in his stomach churning. He didn't know if he liked the feeling or not but it seemed to be reaching towards Leah, so he didn't think he minded too much.

Embry – it turned out – was a chatterbox.

The guy was asking questions left and right. Where did they come from, what did they do to the arrows that took down the Cullens, what size engine block the Impala had, if bigfoot was real or not. Sam seemed happy enough to answer the guy's questions until he moaned, "I hope mom's not home. I just wanna get some z's"

"You should just tell her." Leah turned away from the window to answer her friend. "Sam said that you could."

Dean was confused. "What? Your mom?"

"Dude, you still live with your parents?" Sam kidded.

"I'm sixteen man. I think its law."

"You're sixteen?!" Both brothers exclaimed. Dude in the backseat was no where near sixteen.

"Yeah…" Embry said unsurely, as if he thought they were suddenly acting like a couple funny-farm escapees.

"No way!" Dean laughed, then suddenly something else came to him. If the mid-twenties guy in the backseat was a kid… how old was Leah? He abruptly turned his eyes to her in the rearview. "How old are you?" He tried to hide the looming panic in his voice.

_Please don't be sixteen... Please don't be sixteen…_

"I'm twenty-one." Her eyebrows knit together for a moment before she went back to staring out the window.

_Hallelujah! Halle-fucking-lujah!_

Dean tried not to look so psyched about that. He had rules – not many, but he did have them. Rule number one was they had to be legal.

"So your mom doesn't know about your little furry problem?" Sam turned in his seat to ask Embry.

"No. So she gets super pissed about me being out all night when I'm supposed to be grounded."

"You get yelled at for protecting people and you're too much of an idiot to tell her what's happened to you." Leah snapped.

Embry turned to face her, his eyes narrowed as he replied, "Are you seriously telling me that you wouldn't have kept all this from your parents if you had the choice?"

Leah sighed in frustration and turned back to the window and ignored him. Dean remembered her words from last night – that she felt responsible for her dad's heart attack because of her phasing. Dean didn't blame the guy from keeping this a secret from his mom.

"So how many people know about what you guys do?" Sam asked.

"Just the Elder's Council, and some of our parents know, the ones that remember their grandparents phasing." Embry answered.

"So does it skip generations?" Sam kept up the questions, squirreling away knowledge for later like he's done since he was a kid.

"Not really. If the vampires were here permanently, there would be wolves every generation. It's part of the tribe history that The Protectors come in times of need. But this is the largest pack in history. When the Cullens were here before, there were only three wolves – like usual. It's always in three's because the vampires never travel in anything more than pairs. But the Cullens are a large family, so this time there's so many of us."

"The Cullens were here before?"

"Yeah… back in the thirties. They came back because they didn't think there would be anyone in our tribe left alive that would have remembered them. But Old Quil is still kicking, and he's the last remaining wolf from his pack. They didn't stay long the first time they were here, and there were only five of them then. Now there's seven of them and they were going to school and posing as teenagers so they could stay a few years."

"So the more vampires there are – the more wolves crop up." Dean surmised.

"You got it Pontiac."

"You said there were five before, but seven now?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, Jasper and Alice joined them. Apparently Doc Cullen didn't change them, they just showed up on his doorstep one day. The fortune teller had a vision of them, and so they went to find them. Bella said that Alice doesn't remember being human, or who changed her. And Jasper was in the civil war. He's their Captain of the Guard or some shit like that. They're all looking to him when it comes to this fighting stuff. I'll give him credit though, he's taught us all how to take these newborns out – and I wouldn't want to take him on one-on-one. Dude's the fucking Terminator – and I mean T2 the T-1000 shit."

"So is that why you guys were there last night? He was teaching you how to fight them?"

"Yeah. We were just supposed to watch as he taught the other Cullens how to fight. It wouldn't really have been wise to fight with them, things get out of hand too easily and… well… we hate them." The kid shrugged.

"But you're in an alliance with them." Sam stated, brow furrowing.

"If I can't fight them but they're offering me another vampire to kill… I'm willing to look past our differences." Embry smirked happily at the thought of fighting the incoming army.

"Dude, you so need a girlfriend." Dean laughed.

"Or two." Embry chuckled and gave them a shit-eating grin. Yup. Embry was okay in his book.

"It's the next driveway." Leah sat forward and said her first words in minutes.

Dean pulled into the driveway of a small but neat, white, wood-sided house. There was an old Buick in the yard and rose bushes under the window. It looked like a nice home.

Getting out of the car, Embry said, "Hey Lee, do you think there's any of those blueberry muffins your mom made left?"

"No genius." She snapped back. "You and Seth scarfed them all down before we left on patrols last night." Dean and Sam got out of the car as Leah dashed towards the front door. "I'll just be a minute." She called over her shoulder. Dean didn't mind waiting. He had a great view of Leah running up the steps.

Embry laughed at him. "You got it bad man."

"That is a good lookin' woman. You telling me you don't look?" Dean glanced at the kid.

"I like having my balls attached, thanks." Sam burst out laughing at the statement. "And speaking of balls… You two have some set on you don't-cha?" Embry smirked. "You walk up to a group of vampires and tell them you're taking their human away?" The guy snorted in laughter. "I thought Jake was gonna rupture a spleen."

"How was old Jake doing this morning?" Dean mused.

"Oh, he's still pissed at you for calling up your friend, but he'll get over it."

"What about you?" Sam asked shrewdly. Embry was watching _his_ back after all.

Embry shrugged. "Can't say I was happy about it, but I can't say I blame you either. You don't know us, and you don't know the Cullens. Why should you trust us not to double cross you?"

"But you're not going to double cross us. Are you." Sam said it as a statement and not a question.

Embry shook his head. "Like Jake said – we make a deal, we stick to it." The kid looked off into the trees surrounding the house. He looked back at Dean and smiled evilly. "You know… If you really want to mess with her… take off that scent-hidey thing you're wearing."

"Why?" Dean asked, puzzled.

"Trust me." He winked and started to head for the trees that surrounded the house. "I'll meet you back at the clearing." He called over his shoulder and disappeared.

"What the hell did that mean?" Sam asked, staring off after his wolf with a quizzical look on his face.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna do it." Dean smirked and pulled the amulet from around his neck and tucked it into his pocket. She had asked him to put the amulet back on last night saying that the vampires had control issues. Did Embry know something he didn't?

Leah came bounding out of the house a minute later. She was in worn faded jeans, a white tank top and two dollar flip-flops. Her hair was standing up in damp spikes and the scent of soap and shampoo preceded her on the light breeze.

She. Looked. Beautiful.

She came to an abrupt halt several feet from the car, took a deep breath, looked towards the trees where Embry disappeared and muttered under her breath, "I'm gonna fuckin' kill him."

* * *

The drive to town was pure torture. The close confines of the car was filled with the scent of the handsome driver. Leah was practically squirming in the backseat, almost at the point of sitting on her hands to keep them from twisting themselves in his hair. She'd had to roll down her window and nearly stick her head out like a damn dog just so she wouldn't go crazy.

_Stupid fucking Embry. Asshole did this to me_. She cursed him, knowing full well he'd told the human to take off his necklace that hid his incredibly mouthwatering scent.

_Stop it Leah!_

And she didn't miss the driver looking in the mirror at her with a smile in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.

_His lips… Stop it!_

She should have known Embry would have stabbed her in the back. When she phased back after pulling away from Dean last night, Embry had noticed she was a little off. No one else was paying attention to her, but Embry had been a bit stumped, telling her she seemed… different. When he'd finally cottoned on, he'd had a field day. Eventually, everyone else started to pay attention once Embry had crowed, _'You've got the hots for him! Oh that is fucking hysterical!'_ To say that she wasn't on the short end of the stick with everyone else after that would be an outright lie. That was one thing that really sucked about the wolf mind-meld mess. You couldn't just walk away from a conversation if it was pissing you off. They were in your head until you phased back to two legs. Sam was particularly peeved about it, until she'd growled at him that he lost all rights to what goes on in her bed the minute he climbed into Emily's. It shut him up. As of this morning, he still wasn't speaking to her – which wasn't a bad thing.

So she was sitting in the backseat, her window wide open and taking shallow breaths that weren't doing a whole hell of a lot of good anyway. Getting madder and madder at Embry for doing this to her.

And the human.

He had to have some idea of what he was doing to her, and he was enjoying himself at her expense and that was pissing her off even more. She didn't know if she should punch him or try to start something a whole hell of a lot more recreational. And as soon as that thought crossed her mind it started a domino effect of wanting lips and hands and clothes on the floor and…

_Stop it!_

And she couldn't ask him to put the magical trinket back on. She'd used the excuse of the vampire's lack of control last night. There were no bloodsuckers here now and the only one in danger of losing control was her.

"So you were only in the house for like five minutes," Dean said, looking into the rearview as he spoke. "What did you do? Run through your shower?" In truth, she had. One minute under the shower head to smear some shampoo in her hair and soap across her body because she had to get her own scent off her. Embry had been smirking to himself the whole drive while she'd tried to stay silent and look out the window instead of at the block of handsome in the front seat. The human's senses were too weak to pick up what theirs could and for that she was glad. It was bad enough she was wearing a goddamn neon sign around her neck for her pack.

The way he was looking at her had her heart hammering in her chest and she could smell the want rolling off him just as bad now as on the dark path last night. She tried to regain her self control as she looked squarely into his reflected green orbs, "I didn't want to keep you waiting."

His eyes went wide for a second and he suddenly jerked the wheel because he'd drifted too far to the left. His brother clapped a hand to his mouth to hide a laugh and covered it up with a cough. And all she could think was '_what did I do?_' when a fresh wave of lust wafted to the backseat and giving her a fresh dose of hormones to rocket around in her body.

_I'm gonna fucking kill Embry_.

Thankfully, they arrived at Minnie's Diner in one piece and with Leah fully dressed. She actually hadn't been this fully dressed in ages. Jeans, bra, even underwear… she felt almost human again.

Dean pushed open the door to the establishment and walked in first, scanning the room before walking out of the way to let the others in behind him.

"Do you think there's a vampire hiding under the booth in the corner?" She snarked at him.

"Sammy, you wanna tell her how many diners we've been jumped in?" He stated flatly without looking at her.

"I can't count that high." Sam deadpanned as he too 'casually' scanned the room before following his brother to a booth near the back. Dean stood back to allow her to take the inner seat before dropping down on the bench next to her.

_Great. Just freaking great_.

Then she noticed how he angled himself to face the restaurant, how he could see the whole place from his seat and had a wall behind him so no one could come up from behind.

_Paranoid much?_

"Well… Miss Clearwater," a voice drawled from the counter.

_Crap_.

"I see your wearing shoes of a sort today."

Leah eyes involuntarily rolled. "Good morning Minnie." She called in a false sugary-sweet voice. Dean rubbed the back of his hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh. Her dad had been a favorite patron of the place, and Minnie had taken it upon herself to try to 'steer' her back onto the righteous path. Basically, to give her grief for all of her shortcomings – namely, the way she dressed, the way she spoke, and the way she acted.

Minnie was going to have her work cut out for her.

The woman walked over with a couple menus in one hand and the other hand on her hip. At about five-ten and sixty pounds overweight with a Peg Bundy hairdo – Minnie was an imposing woman. Even if she was a hundred and two. She seemed to stare at the hunters as if she scraped them off the bottom of her shoe.

"Well it's nice to see you boys in here again with someone more your age." She frowned down at them.

"Oh, are you boys bringing other girls here?" She asked with mock hurt in her voice. Inside she was growling to know who it had been and how serious the situation had been.

"Young Jessica Stanley!" Minnie said with indignation. "This one had dinner with her and **you,** young man, are much too old for the likes of her." She pointed her arthritic fingers at Sam.

_Jessica Stanley? Ha! Oh I would have loved to see that._

Leah noticed Sam looking down at his hands as if in embarrassment while Dean said, "I didn't realize there was a law in this town that said talking to people was illegal." He smiled at up at her, and if Minnie wasn't just the oldest and meanest woman in Forks, then the panty melting charm of the hunter might have worked.

As it was… "It's a little early for you to be coming in here with gentlemen callers, isn't it Leah?" She placed the menus on the table with none of the friendliness of most diners.

Leah leaned forward on her elbows to stare up at the woman. She could feel her temper rising, and she could also smell Dean's scent wafting up to caress her face. The combination of the two was going to be catastrophic – she could tell. But she didn't want anything to get back to her mom, who would be disappointed in her for giving her elders a hard time – even if they deserved it. So she took a deep breath – which was a mistake as she was sitting next to Dean – and said in her most civil voice, "It's after ten Minnie."

"In my day, young ladies never met boys until at least lunch time."

"In your day, boys asked girls to marry them by knocking them over their head with a club and dragging them back to their cave."

_Crap._

Dean tried to hide a snort behind a cough and Sam suddenly found the window to be the most interesting thing in the joint.

_Mom is going to freak_. She was mentally slapping the side of her head and repeating '_stupid, stupid_.'

"And in my day…" she snarled back, "… young people knew their place."

"Where was that? At the back of the tent scraping the meat off the mammoth carcass?" She just couldn't get her mouth to stop moving. She could hear a little voice inside her head that sounded suspiciously like Seth pleading, '_just shut up Leah._'

"Leah Clearwater! Is that how your father raised you?" She demanded.

And that did it.

"Don't you dare bring up my father you nosy old crone!" She yelled back, standing up and slapping her hand against the table top. There was an ominous creak from the particle board under the cheap Formica top.

Minnie turned scarlet.

"Out! Get out!" Minnie pointed at the door they had only walked through minutes ago. "I will not have rotten little smart-mouthed children insulting me in my own restaurant!"

"You know what? Fine!" She seethed, nearly pushing Dean out of the booth in her haste to get out of the diner. "I don't really think I could stomach that rubbery stuff you call 'bacon' anyways!" She was so steamed that she didn't even notice at first that Sam and Dean were having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"Sorry we offended you ma'am." Sam said with a solemn look that didn't reach his dancing eyes.

"Come on boys," She purposefully looped her arm through Dean's grinning to herself at his reaction to her touch and feeling her stomach drop in the process. "Let's go to Darcy's. The food's better and it doesn't reek of Vicks Vap-o-Rub and Bengay." She sent a last scowl over her shoulder at the old tyrant before barging her way through the glass door.

Once back to the car Dean doubled over laughing. "You got some mouth on you Leah Clearwater." He squeezed out between gasps for air. "I thought the old biddy was gonna blow a gasket."

"Old broad likes to get under my skin." She muttered. "I swear it's a past-time for her or something."

"So where's this 'Darcy's' anyway?" Dean asked, pulling the keys from his jeans pockets.

"Not far. The food is good but it's more of a bistro kind of thing than a diner. It's big for the tourists that come through here."

"There are tourists that come here?"

"Yeah… Four or five. They're lost mostly." She snickered. She honestly didn't understand why anyone would want to visit this pinprick of a town.

She gave them directions to the bistro. It was one of those big older houses that had been converted into a commercial section downstairs with a residence upstairs. The house was painted bright yellow and had colorful hanging baskets of flowers all over the covered front porch, which was littered with little tables for two. They didn't bother with the seating on the porch, and went straight inside. A young woman Leah recognized but didn't recall her name greeted them at the door.

_Sarah? Stephanie? Stella?_

"Good morning. I'm Stacey and I'll be your server this morning." Her smile was friendly, but her eyes were blatantly on Sam. Dean nudged Leah in the arm and she tried not to giggle at Sam's ears turning pink. "Table for three?" She asked hopefully and Leah knew that Stacey was praying that there wasn't a fourth – a female fourth – to their dining party.

"Yes. Thank you." Dean stepped forward, grabbing Leah's elbow as he went so that the waitress could see that Sam was here all by his lonesome. Stacey gave Sam a wide smile that shot the ear color up to a full blown red. Uncomfortable and embarrassed at the attention, Sam followed behind the rest of them to a secluded booth.

Again, Dean took the spot where he could see the whole place, leaving Leah to sit next to him and breathing him in with every breath she took. His scent and the smells wafting from the kitchen were an unbelievable combination and she knew exactly what she wanted – although she didn't really think that pie, berries and bed sheets went really well together. But Dean looked like the adventurous type…

_I am in so much trouble_.

They looked over the short menu. It was only one page, and she already knew what she wanted to _eat _but the image she'd just banished swam across her vision again so she tried to push it down. She could smell everything that was prepared in the kitchen with her super sniffer and her mouth was watering either from the food or Dean. It didn't really matter which anymore.

Stacey came back with a carafe of coffee. Filling up the cups she asked what they wanted while sneaking peeks at Sam from under her bangs.

Dean started. "I'll have the Lumberjack's Breakfast."

"Your eggs?"

"Scrambled."

"What about you Sugar?" She smiled at Sam.

Sam suddenly found the menu to be incredibly interesting as he refrained from looking at the pretty waitress who was nearly writing her phone number in ketchup on the table. It was hard for Leah to not laugh at the whole thing and she could feel Dean's arm next to her was vibrating slightly as he tried to hold it in as well.

_Why isn't he taking the bait? She's pretty. Is he gay?_

"I'll have the short-stack with strawberries and a fruit cup."

Leah clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from busting up.

_Is this guy for real? A short-stack and a frigging fruit cup? Oh… That is priceless_.

She could feel Stacey staring at her, but she couldn't help herself. Evidently, her laughter was infectious because Dean's shoulders were shaking and he actually bumped a fist against the table top a couple times. She tried to rein herself in by taking a deep breath and getting a fresh dose of Dean for her trouble. He settled into her stomach and seemed to caress his way up to her lungs and ribcage.

_Get a hold of yourself!!_

"I'll have the Quiche Florentine and the Lumberjack's Breakfast please. Over easy." She managed to gasp out.

"You sure about that? They're both big servings." Stacey had a quizzical look on her face as she watched her.

"You kidding? This guy had me up half the night." She jerked her thumb at Dean. "I'm starved." A flood of embarrassment washed over Stacey's face at Leah's poor choice of words. They also sent Dean snorting again.

Stacey turned from the table and started to hurry to the kitchen when Leah shouted out, "And bring me one of those cinnamon buns you've got baking back there!"

"Hungry Leah?" Dean smirked, still chuckling at the implication Leah had given the server.

"You run all night in a fur coat and see how hungry you get." She snickered at him. "I hope you got the funds to cover this Slick. I don't exactly run with my wallet in my mouth."

"I guess that's the price of protection."

"You are getting the best."

"I can tell."

Sam cleared his throat nosily, stopping the flirting that was starting to build. Truthfully, Leah was grateful because the Dean that had settled in her lungs a moment ago started going south the second he locked eyes with her and gave her a crooked smile.

_His smile… Aarrgg!_

"So… Quiche Florentine… What the hell is that?" Dean asked, eyeing her the whole time.

"You've never tried it?"

"It sounds French." He said, as if that explained anything.

"What he means," Sam cut in, "Is that the only French food my brother acquaints himself with is their Fries."

"Damn straight."

"Well," Leah leaned her forearms against the table top, "I think that you will be begging me for a piece before the meal is done."

He gave her a cocky grin that made her stomach do back-flips. "Are we still talking about food?"

_Oh fuck…_

"Dude!" Sam snorted into his coffee cup, narrowly missing spraying everyone. Sam grabbed a handful of napkins from the dispenser and started to mop up the mess. "Honestly!" He cast a disdainful glare at the two of them and Leah didn't think that Sam was over the ribbing about his breakfast choice.

"So what's the real deal with Embry not wanting to tell his mom about you guys?" Sam asked as he pushed the soggy lump of napkins to the side.

"It a bit complicated. The wolf thing is entirely in the bloodlines and Embry's mom is from the Makah Reservation."

"So?"

"So genius," she rolled her eyes at him, "…that means that Embry's father is Quileute and likely one of three men that his mother never disclosed to him."

"Embry doesn't know who his father is?" Dean questioned.

"No. And if he goes to his mom about this, not only does he run the risk of scaring her to death, it will also bring up the entirely painful game of 'Who's your Daddy?'"

"Which is one of three men in your tribe."

"All of them married and with children at the time." She qualified.

"Does he think he knows who it is?"

"We're all kinda hoping its Sam's dad because he was always an ass and not much of a father anyways. But it could be Jake's dad or even Quil's dad."

"What about your father?" Sam asked while looking up from under his shaggy hair.

"It's not in my dad's line. It was completely my mom's fault. Her and Quil's dad are brother and sister."

"And 'Old Quil' that Embry mentioned earlier…?"

"Is my Grandfather. Yes."

"So if this was a regular pack and there was only supposed to be three…" Dean trailed off.

"It would have been Sam, Jake and Quil. And Jake is supposed to be Alpha but he won't take it."

"Why not?" Sam put his cup down.

She shrugged. "You know… I'm not really sure. I'm not saying this because I hate Sam Uley… but Jake would be a better choice. The guys listen to him more easily. Sam tends to be a monumental prick on his best of days."

The conversation was halted as Stacey came back with a bunch of plates balanced on her arms. Leah smiled as the scent hit her and Stacey skillfully managed to set the plates down without dropping anything. Leah never understood how waitresses could do that. She'd drop everything.

Leah pulled both plates in front of her and gave a soft sigh of happiness. She didn't miss Dean staring at her plate as if it was long lost sibling.

"You just let me know if there's anything you need." Stacey said, looking only at Sam's side of the table and ignoring her and Dean. Sam was undeniably good looking, but how could anyone ignore Dean? Sam gave her a shy nod and Stacey walked away with an extra swing to her hips.

"What is wrong with you?" Leah exasperated. "Do you want her crawl into your lap before you bite?"

"What are you going on about?" Sam raised an eyebrow at her as if he hadn't a clue what she was referring to.

"She's talking about the pretty waitress that's trying to get your attention, Dude." Dean said around a mouthful of bacon.

"You're imagining things." Sam said while pouring a liberal amount of syrup on his pancakes.

_Maybe he is gay… But what a waste…_

"Whatever man." Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. "You just do your little emo thing and we'll enjoy our food." He looked at Leah's plate as he said it.

Leah sunk her fork into her quiche and let it melt in her mouth. Egg and mushroom and ham and cheese all served in a flaky crust. Did food seriously get any better? Closing her eyes she gave an appreciative 'mmmm'. She opened her eyes to see Dean staring at her in a way that made the Dean in her chest plummet all the way from the Canadian border down to Mexico.

"You want to try it don't you?" She said, very carefully keeping her voice level. If he didn't stop looking at her like that…

"Yup." His hand brushed her knee under the table – whether on purpose or accidentally – she didn't know. All she knew was that if he did it again, things were going to get a little too Animal Planet in here. She cursed Embry again because the whole thing wouldn't be so bad if he was wearing that damn amulet.

And the heat in the pit of her stomach was churning and reaching for him…

She scooted over a little in her seat to add an extra inch or two between them while picking up her knife and slicing the pie in half. Picking up the plate, she slid it onto his and earned a happy-little-kid-on-Christmas-morning smile out of him. He took a huge bite out of it, his eyes going wide. "Oh my God." He said around a full mouth which should have disgusted her but didn't. "This is incredible." He swallowed thickly. "It's like everything good in the world all wrapped up in a pie crust." He took another huge, lustful bite and Leah had to look away and try to focus on her own plate.

They ate in silence for awhile. Leah was really packing it away – bringing a whole new meaning to the term 'wolfing it down'. Sam had finished first and asked her how her meal was. "It's awesome. How was your fruit cup?" She tried to say it without sounding like she was making fun of him – she really did. It just didn't come out that way and Dean went into a fresh round of shoulder shaking as he tried to swallow back the laughter.

Stacey came back with Leah's cinnamon bun, drizzled in icing and piping hot. The cinnamon and sugar smells were enough to make her stomach purr in satisfaction. Stacey re-filled their coffees from the carafe she was carrying, asking if everything had been alright, and if she could get them anything else. Again – she didn't look at one side of the table.

"No. Thank you. Everything was great." Sam said and actually smiling at her this time instead of trying to ignore her.

"Just the check then Sugar?"

"Please."

"Here you go guys." She said while slipping the check face-down in front of Sam and smiling. "Have a great day." She shot Sam one last hopeful smile before walking away.

Dean reached over and snagged the check as Leah dug into her cinnamon paradise. It was hot and gooey and sweet and just what she needed.

Dean started laughing as he read the check. "Hey dude." He flipped it over so they could all see it. Stacey had written her name and number on the check.

"Okay, is that obvious enough for you?" Leah after swallowing a huge mouthful.

"You gonna call her Sammy?" Dean asked, taking a couple of bills out of his wallet and tossing them on the table.

"No."

"Why not?" Both Dean and Leah asked simultaneously.

Sam crossed his arms and huffed in a way that Leah thought would be very annoying if she had to witness it all the time. "Because we're on a case and we have bigger things to worry about right now."

"The case?" Dean scowled. "Dude, we'll be done tomorrow night with nothing more than a few cuts and bruises for the pretty waitress to kiss better while you tell her you got them hiking."

"If we make it through the fight."

"Of course you'll make it through the fight." Leah rolled her eyes for the hundredth time in twelve hours. What was it about these guys that caused that? "Do you think we're going to let anything happen to you?"

"There are at _least_ twenty newborns coming to this block party Leah." Sam placed his coffee cup heavily on the table. "We're outnumbered and it will be a damn miracle if we all make it out in one piece."

"Melodramatic much Sammy?" Dean shook his head and gave his brother a goofy grin.

"Not to mention all the other shit we have to deal with if we make it out of here alive. Time's running out Dean."

"Sam!" Dean hissed with a look that clearly said '_don't say another fucking word._' Leah wondered what was whirring in the younger brother's mind and what time was running out on.

"Look." Sam said in a completely pissed off fashion. "I've got bigger things on my plate right now than getting a date. Okay?"

"How about getting laid?" Dean smirked, trying to get a smile out of his brother. It worked for Leah, who snorted in laughter.

"Dean…" Sam pinched the bridge of his nose as if the two of them were giving him a headache.

"Alright. Alright. No friendly encounters of the feminine kind for Sammy. I got it." Dean pushed up from the table and Leah grabbed the rest of her cinnamon bun off her plate and trailed him out the door. Sam followed, leaving the check with Stacey's number scrawled on it lying on the table where Dean left it.

Leah kinda felt bad for the girl.

A/N: Whoo! I get a little long winded in Leah mode, don't I? You know I never really planned on the whole Leah angle but I'm glad it punched me in the face in true Leah style. Let me know what you think. And I know I said that the other chapter was as light and fluffy as it was gonna get, but I need to do some character and relationship development because I keep forgetting that you guys – as awesome as you are – can't read my mind.


	17. Brawls

Disclaimer: Kripke – You're killing me man. I gotta wait _how long_ for a new episode?

A/N: This one is a long one because I didn't want to break it up. So hope you all enjoy it, it took a while to get it right.

16. Brawls

The car ride back to the dirt road was murder. Dean couldn't help glancing to the back seat in the rearview and seeing Leah staring back at him. The electric charge in the car was uncomfortable to say the least. And Sam was suffering the most because Dean didn't think he was imagining things when he thought the car smelled like sex.

Sam was actually staring out his window and shifting uncomfortably, his arms crossed over his chest and his brow furrowed. The guy was pissed _and_ awkward. Dean knew his brother wanted out of the car like ten minutes ago, but it wasn't as if he could just let Sam out on the side of the road and tell him he'd be back in a while to pick him up. And the idiot had to go and bring up the whole running out of time thing in the restaurant. He didn't miss Leah's eyes flashing at that, and he hoped that she didn't bring it up because he really didn't want to lie to her.

And a wave of anger at Sam washed over him at that. He knew his deadline was coming up and he didn't need Sam pointing it out to him like it was an appointment he'd forgotten about. The only thing he could think of to get out of it was to kill Lilith and they had no fucking idea where the hell she was or how to find her. And even if they did have a way to kill her, there was no way that he wanted Sammy anywhere near the same zip code as her because she wanted Sam's head on a fucking pike. If he could take her out without endangering Sam, he'd do it – even if it killed him in the process because then Sam would be safe and his death would mean something.

He was brought back to planet Earth by his phone belting out Fogarty's 'Old Man Down the Road'.

"This ain't gonna be good." Sam stared at him as he pulled it out of his shirt pocket and flipped it open. "Hey Bobby. What's goin on?"

"_I don't know y'idjit._" Bobby's gruff voice sounded in his ear. _"Why don't-cha tell me?"_

"Well… right now me and Sammy are driving down the road." He said evasively. He had his fingers crossed that Bobby didn't know what they were up to.

"_Don't act cute with me boy."_ Bobby threatened. _"I ain't one a yer bar-flies you kin flash a smile at."_

"I don't know what to tell ya Bobby."

"_How's about you start with this idjit plan a yers that involves fighting with a coven of vampires and a pack a mutant werewolves."_

"Caleb called you?"

"_Damn straight Junior called me."_ Dean could just feel Bobby scowling at him through the phone connection. _"Told me some cockamamie story about a she-wolf you got the hots for and a mindreadin-future-tellin vampire you're just a itchin ta help."_

"For the record," Dean cut in, feeling like he needed to qualify things for the veteran hunter, "… the mind-reader and the psychic are two separate vampires."

"_Well don that make me feel better."_ He groused. _"What about the wolves?"_

"_She's a beaut alright."_ Dean winked at her in the mirror and she blushed and looked away. A zing of electricity shot through the car and the gut feeling that's been churning all morning revved up another notch. He had to get to that fucking clearing and get the hell out of this car.

"_Why are you tryin' ta give me a heart-attack boy?"_ Dean could imagine Bobby pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

"We're gonna be fine Bobby."

"_I've heard you say that an awful lot over the years kid."_

"And I'm still kicking."

"_What about your contract?"_

Why was everyone bringing that up? Didn't they know he'd rather not think about it? It was bad enough trying to keep his mind off of it without having everyone he knew throwing it in his face.

"Not now Bobby."

"_Well when's a good time for you princess?"_ Bobby snarled. _"Think ya could pencil me in?"_

Dean huffed in annoyance. He didn't want to have this conversation. Not here – not now. Not ever.

"_You got all a us bustin our asses tryin to figure out a way to keep you outta the basement… And you're literally chasin tail in fuckin Forks Washington… And for what? Some little girl who got too friendly with a vampire?"_

"We're doing our job Bobby." Dean growled. "The job you and Dad and everyone else taught us how to do. So don't go throwing it in my face that I'm doing what I'm supposed to!"

"_What you're supposed ta be doin is trackin down Lilith!"_

"Well do you have any leads? 'Cuz I sure as fuck don't!"

"_Don't you take that tone with me boy. I'm tryin ta help you."_

Dean ground his teeth together, trying to reign in his temper because Bobby was right. "Look Bobby. I know what you're doing, alright? I get it. But we've got nothing to go on and even less to work with. So unless there's a fucking epiphany about to erupt out of someone's ass – there's not a lot else to do."

"_Don't you dare tell me you're throwin in the towel kid. So help me I'll kick yer skirt-chasin ass."_

Dean let out a sharp laugh at that one. Leave it to Bobby to beat up a dying man. "I ain't giving up Bobby. You know I'm not. There's just not a whole hell of a lot to do."

"_I'm gonna find a way boy. Mark my words."_

"If anyone can… It's you." He looked into the mirror and Leah was watching him intently. He didn't doubt she could hear the conversation taking place on the other end of the phone – Jake had last night after all. Dean just hoped the whole thing was vague enough that she wouldn't be able to piece it together. "Look Bobby. We gotta go. We've got a blood trail to set."

"_A blood trail? Around a bunch a vampires? Have you officially lost yer fool mind boy?"_

"It's been said."

"_An' I'm gonna look in-ta these wolves too. Make sure they're on the up and up_."

"You do that." Dean rolled his eyes. "We'll call you when we're done here."

"_Make sure you do."_ And Bobby hung up because he didn't do the whole goodbye thing either. It must be a hunter thing.

"That another one of your hunting buddies?" Leah asked from the back.

"Yup. That's Bobby. Knows more about anything than anyone else."

"How many of you are there?"

"A few. Not many. Not many who are any good like we are anyways. There's a few out there who have no business doing this at all."

_Thinkin' about you Jo. _He thought snidely.

"And who's Lilith?" She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"A demon we need to kill." Sam turned in his seat to look at Leah.

"Sam!" Dean growled. He didn't want Leah knowing anything about her.

"And you need to do it soon." Leah leaned forward towards Sam because she sensed she was going to get answers out of him easier than the elder Winchester.

"Yes."

"Sam!" Dean yelled. "Stop it!"

"Why Dean?" Sam yelled back. "We can't keep ignoring this!"

"I'm not ignoring anything alright?" He growled. "I'm just not gonna do this right now."

"How can I trust you if you're hiding things from me?" Leah asked, turning her dark eyes on him. Dean tried to pay attention to the road but Leah's beautiful face was right next to his as she leaned over the back of the seat.

"_What?!_" He belted out, incredulous.

"In this fight I'm trusting you to watch my back just as much as you're trusting me to watch yours."

"This is something personal. Private." Dean defended himself.

"I told you everything about me. Everything that mattered."

"Leah… Please don't..."

"I told you everything you wanted to know because you asked me."

She looked hurt and angry and Dean didn't want her to feel either, so he caved. "Lilith is a demon." He sighed. "Like, Queen of the fucking demons. She's powerful and she's planning something and we need to find her and kill her before she can do something bad and we don't know how to do either." He hoped that would be enough to pacify her. He didn't want her asking any more questions because he technically hadn't lied to her yet and a lie by omission wasn't a real lie in his books.

She was looking down at her hands that were draped over the front seat and biting her lip. She looked like she was thinking about something and Dean hoped it wasn't more questions she was gearing up. Sam was watching her too. He'd even kept his face straight during Dean's quasi-truth about the need to destroy Lilith pronto. He was grateful his brother hadn't called him out about it in front of her. The less Leah knew the better. He didn't want her looking at him with pity in her eyes.

"There are some old legends and lore in our tribal records about spirits and demons." Leah said slowly. "…About summoning them and destroying them. I always thought it was just a bunch of stories – but then again – I always thought the wolf myths weren't real either." Sam tilted his head slightly as he listened to her speak. "There may be something in the old stories that may help you. We keep our records safe by keeping them in the tribe – they aren't shared with many outsiders." She looked up at Dean then. "I'll ask the Elders to let you look at the lore in exchange for you helping us fight off the Seattle vamps."

"Thank you Leah." Sam said softly. "Any help we can get is appreciated. But what if the Elders don't allow us to look at them?"

"Then I'll ask my grandfather for help. Old Quil doesn't need a book to look at. His mind is as sharp now as it was when he was a young man and he'll tell you everything he knows if I ask him to... If I tell him how important it is to me."

"It's important to you?" Dean asked, feeling the shift in the car's atmosphere and the growing tension dissipating. She didn't know how dire the situation was. That Dean's very _soul_ was on the line. And helping them with their problem was important to her without knowing the full story.

Leah smirked in embarrassment at the indirect hint of her feelings for him. Dean couldn't help his heart pounding in his chest at the thought that he might mean something to someone like her and he was uncertain if he wanted her to feel that way about him in the first place. "And if he doesn't help you… I'll steal the damn book for you myself." She smirked and leaned back and settled herself back into her seat.

"Now that's a woman after my own heart Sammy." Dean grinned and jerked his head towards her.

* * *

The made it back to the dirt road they'd slept on the night before. Embry was there in all his wolfy-glory waiting for them. Dean pulled up next to him and cut the engine. Getting out he took a deep breath of clean air, and was surprised that he could still smell Leah on the breeze. Then he realized that it wasn't Leah he smelled, but that Leah smelled like the mountain – like rain-washed forest and clear mountain air – a faint hint of honey. He took another deep breath but the mountain air didn't give him the same reaction as her actual scent did. There were no warm and beckoning tendrils settling into his stomach and he had to admit he kinda liked those tendrils.

Embry trotted up to them. "Hey Man," Dean called in greeting to the wolf, trying to get past the awkwardness of speaking to an animal. He and Sam went around the trunk and opened her up to reveal to Leah the vast arsenal that was the Impala. Embry managed to shoulder his way in to have a peek when Leah gave out a soft whistle. Actually knocking Leah into Dean's side and a jolt of lightening shot down his spine at the unexpected contact. She gave Embry a dirty look and the wolf just twisted his head and looked off into the distance with what may have been a wolfy-innocent expression.

She shook her head at friend before turning back to the brothers. "You guys don't fool around, do you." She stated, taking in the guns, the knives, the magical herbs and trinkets. She pointed to the metal strong box in the corner. "What's in there?"

"Grenades." Dean grinned happily. "Hey Sammy, maybe we should bring a couple of those bad boys up to the fight with us so that we can blast those sonsofbitches right out of the park."

"Yeah, and alert every Park Ranger in the area with the freaking explosion." Sam huffed, effectively taking the wind out of Dean's sails.

"Killjoy." He really wanted to blow something up. His due date was coming up and he really wanted to blast the shit out of something before he checked out.

Sam reached into the trunk, pulled out his machete and his crossbow and quiver. Dean did the same, not wanting to be anywhere near the vampires without being armed – truce or not. He was completely on the wolves wavelength when it came to that. They each grabbed a couple knives and Sam slipped the remainder of the dead man's blood into the pocket of his hoodie. He tucked his nine in his waistband and grabbed an extra clip which he shoved in the pocket with the blood.

Dean slammed the trunk closed. Sam was already a couple yards away with Embry nudging him with a massive furry shoulder and Leah giving the pair of them a pointed look as she leaned against the side of the Impala. Sam muttered something to the wolf that he didn't catch and the two of them headed for the trail, leaving Dean and Leah behind.

And the tendrils in his stomach were fucking waving at her. Reaching.

He let his crossbow and quiver slide from his arms to the ground, along with the machete and sheath. She was watching him and biting her bottom lip and Dean could feel the lighting racing up and down his spine because all he wanted was some time alone with her and now he had it.

Embry's words from this morning echoed through his head _'… she likes you…'_ and she was still leaning against the car and staring at him with an expectant look which quickly turned to uncertainty because he suddenly found he couldn't move. She gave him a small embarrassed smile and shoved herself away from the car.

His brain kicked back into gear when he realized that she was leaving and he was there to block her way. "Don't go." He whispered, walking her back the two steps so she was leaning against the side of the car again. He rested one hand on the roof of the Impala, blocking her in but not really because he didn't doubt for a second that Leah could make him move if she wanted to. She didn't look as if she wanted to go anywhere though so he brought his other hand to her face. Brushing his thumb against her lips before grazing her jaw line – just lightly running the backs of his fingers from her chin to her ear.

He knew he shouldn't be doing this – knew it was a bad idea. The conversation in the car serving as an unnecessary reminder that he had no time left. Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. But he was never one to deny himself when it came to women, and he just couldn't ignore what was happening to him in Leah's presence. It was a runaway train and he was strapped to the front of it like Wile E. Coyote and all he could do was wait for the impact.

So he touched her face, and the tendrils were dancing at the way she leaned into his touch like she was hungry for it. Like she was fucking _starved_ for it so he kept going.

His fingers trailed down her neck and along her collar bone and he was relishing in the contrast between his rough pale hand and her satin-smooth copper skin. He started to run his hand down the length of her arm, hungry himself for the feel of her skin – _so soft_ – and the heat coming off her was like a drug he couldn't get enough of.

She brought up her free arm to encircle his neck, twisting her fingers into the short hairs on the back of his head and she was watching him with those so dark eyes of hers.

There was a voice in the back of his head that was demanding that he stop screwing around and get to the good stuff. But there was another voice – a quieter voice – that was telling him to take his time. To savor it. To savor her. So that was the voice he was going to listen to because savoring Leah sounded like the best damn idea he'd ever had.

So he slowly ran his hand down her arm, feeling the taught muscles underneath and wondering how something could be so soft and so firm at the same time. His fingers finished their lazy journey when they reached her wrist and they slipped to rest on her hip – holding her to the car and she was arching towards him, her head thrown back and her throat exposed to him. He brought his lips to her shoulder, ghosting them along her collar and up her neck while his fingers at her hip slid under the material of her tank top. He wasn't trying for a cheap grope; he just wanted to feel more of that amazing heat. He planted the palm of his hand on the smooth skin of her hip, soaking up the heat from her fevered flesh and feeling it warm him from the inside out.

The electricity in his blood was fucking _singing_ when her lips found the soft spot under his jaw and she was breathing deep – almost as if she were breathing him in and drinking him down with every breath she took and her fingers were digging into his hair, pressing in and trying to bring him closer.

Never one to keep a lady waiting, he brought his lips to hers and felt the world open up and swallow him whole.

Her lips formed a perfect seal to his and there were lights exploding behind his eyelids as his hand gripped the soft skin of her waist – moving, caressing, roving to her stomach and making the round-the-world journey to her back, pressing her into him even more. And Leah arched her back even more, pulling him to her with a strength that had him only slightly worried that she might be leaving finger shaped bruises on the back of his neck.

Briefly he wondered what they were doing to the paint job on the Impala, before he realized that he didn't really care at the moment and that he could fix it later. And even if they scraped the shit out of Baby's finish, it would be worth it because this was the single most _alive_ feeling he'd ever had because there was fucking _electricity_ coursing thought his veins and the taste of Leah on his lips.

"We need to get outta here." He breathed into her mouth, thinking of getting the hell to town and a motel room with a big bed because there just wasn't enough room in the backseat of the Impala for what he had in mind.

"Why? Are you gonna show me the best six minutes of my life?" She got out around kisses.

"Ten." He grinned against her lips.

"Somebody had their Wheaties this morning." She breathed raggedly as he trailed kisses down her throat.

"I think it was that quiche." He whispered into the crook of her neck.

"Told you you'd want a piece." She gasped as he slid the strap of her top over to press a kiss to the soft skin under it.

"Piece? I want the whole thing." He said as he claimed her mouth again and slid the strap back into its rightful position on her shoulder.

There was a sharp howl that echoed down from the woods. Leah immediately pulled back from his lips, looking over his shoulder and narrowing her eyes at the forest.

"What is it?" He asked, reaching for his .45 tucked into the back of his jeans. But all she did was shove him – _fucking shoved him_ – out of her way and she was running. Sprinting for the ditch that separated the trees from the road and she leapt over it headlong, like a kid taking a running dive from the bank into a lake and she exploded.

Leah literally fucking exploded and wolfed out mid-air, scraps of clothes floating down to the ground like snow as the silver wolf hit the ground running. It was then that Dean saw the other wolf barreling towards them through the trees, snarling and snapping as she met him head-on, snarling and snapping herself.

They met mid-leap in a cataclysmic crashing of bodies that sent them tumbling and rolling through the undergrowth, claws gouging and teeth tearing at each other as they fought – ferocious growls echoing between the mountains that sent a flock of birds flying in panic.

Dean held the .45 uselessly in his hand. He couldn't shoot at them, and he couldn't even shoot into the dirt near them to break them up because this wasn't a movie and there was this thing called a ricochet and as tough as Leah was, getting shot hurt like fuck – if it didn't kill her. He couldn't even jump in because he'd likely get his arm torn off. He fired a couple shots into the air hoping it would break them up but they didn't even notice as they furiously rolled through the dirt.

More wolves erupted out of the woods. The gangly one – Seth – barreled right into them, knocking them apart and growling at the giant wolf that he assumed was Sam the Douchebag alpha. Seth positioned himself beside his sister against their alpha, growling and snarling as the two siblings slowly circled their salivating leader. Another wolf joined Sam, growling at the other two, before another wolf joined Seth and Leah's side.

_And where the fuck are Sam and Embry?_ He thought, looking wildly around for the sight of his brother and the wolf that may or may not stand beside Leah against their alpha.

It was starting to look pretty ugly as another wolf joined Sam, making it three on three when Jake came charging out of the trees and put himself between both groups. And Dean didn't know what was going on in the pack mind, but Jake seemed to be talking down to all of them because they were starting to back up a bit as Jake snapped at both sides in turn.

Dean saw movement on the path and saw Sam and Embry come out of the woods. Sam had his crossbow against his shoulder and was looking down the sight but he was as hopeless with his crossbow as Dean had been with his .45 because they didn't want to hit the wrong wolf and they didn't know what the fuck was going on anyway.

The wolves backed up some more but Sam was head-to-head with Jake and the two of them were baring their teeth at each other and neither was backing down. He thought that things would go to go to hell pretty quick if Jake and Sam full out went at it but Seth shouldered himself between the two of them, and he was quickly followed by another wolf. The two slightly smaller wolves managed to break the larger two up, and things kind of dissipated from there after a few more snarls. Sam skulked into the woods followed by a couple of wolves, but not before shooting a lethal glare at Sam and Embry. Embry didn't growl back, but just stood his ground between his alpha and his human charge. One of the wolves gave a savage smile to Embry as he followed the Alpha's group into the forest, leaving the others behind.

Seth trotted up to Leah, giving a whimper as he nuzzled a wound on her foreleg. Leah pulled away from her brother, giving him an impatient huff for his concern. Dean felt a flood of rage wash over him and he was half tempted to go follow the asshole and fill his ass full of buckshot for putting his teeth to Leah.

Sam and Embry came over, Sam slinging the crossbow across his shoulders and asking, "You alright?"

"I'm fine." Dean elbowed past his brother to get to Leah who was trying to put some space between her and her brother. "Leah? You okay?" He dropped to one knee to get a better look at her leg and saw that the wound was nearly healed. He could actually see the gouge knitting itself back together as he watched. "I guess you can add fast healer to your list of talents – right behind sexy-as-hell and incredible kisser, huh?" She rolled her eyes at him because there wasn't much she could translate to him in her wolf-state and an eye-roll said the same thing in both worlds; '_Get a grip – I'm fine._'

"Do you know what that was about?" Sam asked.

"Not really. What took you so long to get back here?"

"There was a wolf blocking me and Embry from coming back. I think it was the one I fought last night but I'm not sure. They looked like they were gonna rumble but then there were the shots you fired and he took off. So we hightailed it back down."

"Remind me after this blood trail thing to have a little chat with Mr. Alpha would you?" Dean cast a murderous glance at the spot where Sam Uley had disappeared into the forest.

"Just you, Alpha-Douche and Mr. Smith & Wesson?" Sam's eyebrow shot up.

"Sounds like a party to me."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Embry sat on the side of the road waiting for the others to get back. He could hear the growl of the kick-ass car miles before he could see it.

_Man that is a sweet ride_.

_Man-crush much Bro?_ Quil joked.

_Car-crush asshole_. He shot back.

He could see the dust flying up in the air around the bend in the dirt road. They would be here any second.

_So Lee's got the hots for one of them does she?_ Quil laughed.

_Leah would not degrade herself with that human_. Sam growled but was ignored by the others.

_They got it bad for __each other__. It was all I could do not to hold my nose on the ride to La Push with them_.

_That bad?_

_The fucking hormones were enough to send Mother Theresa over the edge. There was no way I was gonna try to sit though a meal with them. I woulda blown chunks part way through while gagging on the hormones._

_Don't you mean pheromones?_ Jared cut in.

_Hormones, pheromones… whatever man. I failed Biology…_

_I don't want to hear anymore of this talk_. Sam growled.

_Hey! Here they come._

The sweet-ass car came to a halt next to him, sending dirt and rocks skidding out of her glorious path. Embry backed up to get a better look at her when the doors opened and the smell hit him.

_What did they do? Fuck in the car? They reek!_ Embry crowed with laughter.

_Man! Look at Leah's face! She looks like she's trying not to jump him!_ Quil laughed.

Embry could sense Sam gritting his teeth as the mind-meld emotions hit him. He watched as they all went to the trunk of the car and opened her up.

_I'm gonna fuck with them a little_. Embry snickered as he pushed his way in to look at the kick-ass car's kick-ass arsenal, bumping into Leah as he did it so that she fell into the side of the hunter. Embry felt the pheromones spike and turned his head when Leah glared at him.

_Haha._

_Leave her alone Embry_. Seth cut in.

_Embry..._ Sam growled.

_What Dude? I didn't do anything_.

_Fuck. Off_. Sam hissed.

_I didn't do anything man. It's Leah who's nearly falling over herself for some ass._

_Come off it man_. Seth whined. _That's my sister!_

But then the big one was next to him and Leah was giving him a look that plainly said '_get the hell outta here_' so he nudged his human into going up the trail because the last thing he wanted was to watch Leah go all Wild America on her human and the last thing Seth needed was a ringside seat to the spectacle.

"Come on man." His human muttered to him. "No one wants to watch the Discovery Channel."

_Hallelujah_. So the two of them headed for the trail with a fading scent of arousal coming off the pair by the car.

_What the hell are they doing?_ Sam growled.

_Need me to draw you a picture Sam?_ Quil laughed.

_Not with him_. Sam spat. _Not that human_.

_Then who? The guy pumping gas out on route seven? Leah's gonna do what she wants and you're an idiot for thinking otherwise_.

_No. I will not allow it to happen._ Sam started running with his destination being the kick-ass car.

_You don't have a say Bro_. Embry said scathingly. _Leah will do what and __who__ she wants_.

_Eewww dude. I'm right here!_ Seth groaned.

_Sorry kid_. He apologized.

_Where the hell is Jake?_ Quil demanded, knowing the only one who stood a chance of talking some reason into Sam was him.

_He went to talk to Bella this morning. I don't know where he is right now. Up in the clearing maybe?_ Jared offered as he streaked for the road.

_I am going to stop her from making a terrible mistake_. Sam growled and he started running faster as his mind went red with anger.

_Don't you dare Sam. You got no say over her anymore_. Quil bristled.

_The hell I don't_.

_Leave her alone Sam. You're her Alpha – you're not her boyfriend anymore_. Seth snarled.

_Leah can make her own choices Bro. The human's not forcing anything on her_. Embry rationalized but Sam wouldn't hear it. In fact, he picked up his pace and was digging into the loam and eating up the distance between Leah, the human and himself. The human walking next to Embry was still oblivious to what was going on.

_Sam! Back off!_ Seth shouted and started running himself to head him off.

_Stand down Seth_. He commanded.

_The hell I will!_

_I'm gonna handle this_.

_No you're not!_ And Seth tried to channel his sister's speed as he kicked it into high gear to try and derail Sam before he got to Leah and her human.

_Stand down or I'll make you stand down!_ Sam growled.

_Then you'll have to kill me… and trust me… There isn't an Alpha command in the world that will save you from Leah if you do_.

_She can't be allowed to make this mistake!_

_It's her mistake to make!_

_Jesus! Somebody stop him!_ Quil shouted, starting to run towards the road because they all had just gotten a very clear image of what Sam was going to do to the human, and then they all started running because there was going to be a fight and everyone wanted a piece of it.

Embry was going to run back down, his human looking at him as he finally sensed that something was up but then he noticed that Paul was running towards Embry and not the coming fight on the road.

_What the fuck are you doing Paul?_ Embry growled as Paul came racing down the hill and through the trees.

Seth let out a howl of warning to Leah that trouble was headed her way because Sam was going to get to the road before he could stop him.

_Don't worry about me Em. You just trot on down to the road and I'll watch your human for you_. Paul gave him a feral grin as he said it that sent a shiver of alarm skirting down his spine. Paul was still pissed about last night and the hothead was out for fucking blood.

_Back off Paul!_ Embry growled. The human pulled his crossbow from his back and leveled it on the snarling wolf, but Paul wouldn't back down.

They felt the atmosphere shift as Jake phased at the sound of Seth's howl.

Sam neared the road and Embry felt the shift again as Leah phased back to wolf form, and boy was she _pissed_. She actually phased on the fly and hit the ground running at Sam, her teeth bared and a vicious snarl coming from her because Sam was still thinking about what he was going to do to the human that had dared touch her. Touched something he still evidently saw as _his_.

_That's it Sam! How fucking dare you, you sonofabitch!_ Leah snarled as she lunged at him and Sam dove for her and Embry knew the whole thing was gonna be fucking epic.

_What the fuck is happening?_ Jake demanded.

But Embry couldn't answer him because Paul was coming closer.

_Paul!_ Embry growled. _Don't make me fight you man_.

_You wouldn't stand a chance. Besides… all I want is a taste of your human_.

_Paul! Sam! What the fuck?!_ Jake yelled as he started running from the clearing to the road.

Embry growled menacingly at Paul, and the human stood straighter and held his bow tighter and all Embry could think was _'Don't shoot the idiot. Rachel Black will kill you.'_ And he honestly didn't understand how Jake's sister could stand to be in the same room as Paul – let alone what they do in that room by themselves – but Jake was growling and Paul was growling and everybody was fucking growling and then shots rang out from the road and the human next to Embry growled and '_this is where the shit hits the fan…_' rang through his mind because the human brother heard shots and he didn't know that they were just in the air and he didn't know what was going on and FUCK!

Seth had bust in between Sam and Leah, and now the two of them were circling Sam, and Jared was pissed and running into the confrontation. Paul smirked at him and turned tail to get to the fight. _I want a piece of this. I'll get your human later Em. Don't worry._

Embry wanted to run for the road but he couldn't because the human couldn't move as fast as he could and Embry couldn't risk leaving him behind and Paul getting the jump on him.

_Everyone calm the fuck down!_ Jared yelled, snarling at Seth and Leah.

Jake was running for all he was worth. _Sam! Back off!_

_You have no say over me asshole!_ Leah screamed her rage at her ex.

_I'm your Alpha! I have all the say in the world over you!_

_What?!_ More than one wolf started at that one.

_You lost all rights to who I'm with the second you started sleeping with Emily!_

_I imprinted Leah. There was nothing I could do_.

_So you can do whatever you want so long as you cry 'Imprint'?_

_He is beneath you Leah_.

_Not yet he wasn't. You showed up._

Sam made to lunge for her again but then Quil was there next to Leah and Seth and he was pissed. _Back the fuck up Sam!_ He growled. Quil was vibrating with anger at Sam saying he had all the rights in the world over his pack and he wasn't the only one. Embry was snarling his approval of his friends who were standing up to the Alpha/Tyrant that had just taken over their pack leader.

Paul raced onto the road where the confrontation was happening, sliding in next to Sam and Jared and hissing with sick glee, _I'm gonna go after the human after we teach these ones a thing or two about disobedience_.

_Paul, I will rip you to shreds if you go near him you stupid fuck!_ Leah snarled.

_She ain't the only one asshole!_ Embry growled as he and the human jogged back down the path. _Fucking put it into gear dude!_ He cursed at his human.

_What the hell has gotten into you Sam?_ Jake demanded as he ran for the fight.

_Leah was going to degrade herself with that waste of human!_

_So?_

_So I couldn't let her do that_. Sam argued, the '_she's mine_' trailing off in his mind but they all heard it anyway.

Leah exploded. _You can't have both of us you sonofabitch! You left me heartbroken and rotting from the inside out and now that there's someone I'm interested in you have to stick your ugly fucking face in? I don't fucking think so!_

And things were going from bad to worse because Lee was gonna jump Sam again and Paul was looking at Quil like it was his fucking birthday or something and Seth and Jared were too close and if the others started fighting, they would jump in too and the whole thing was one big cluster-fuck and _Move your ass human!_ He cursed at the hunter again.

And then Jake was tearing into the group of them, shouldering his way in and pushing some much needed space in between both groups of furious wolves.

_Stop it!_ Jake thundered, causing a few of them to back up even more because Jake was pissed and there was nothing in his voice that left room for misinterpretation. It was '_get the fuck back before I fucking lose it_' so they all backed up a bit more because they all knew that Jake and Sam were the best fighters in the pack and there was something else in Jake's voice that commanded them to listen to him. Only Sam wasn't backing up, he was looking at Jake like he wanted to rip his ass in two for getting in his way.

_Get out of my way Jacob._ Sam growled.

_No_.

_I'll make you_.

_You use your Alpha command on me now, and you lose all credibility with this pack and you know it_. Jake hissed. _Back. The fuck. Up._

Seth pushed his way between them and Jared dug his shoulder into Sam's chest to drive him back before he did something stupid like go for Jake's throat.

And Embry and the human finally made it back to the road and the human brought his bow up to his eye but didn't fire because his brother was standing safely behind the three wolves, holding his gun ineffectively at his side because – honestly – what was he gonna do? Embry was going to rush over beside Leah and Quil to tip the balance in their favor if Sam kept pushing because he didn't like the insinuation Sam had given earlier because, _'I have all the say in the world over you!'_ was still ringing though his head along with several of the others and it was _not_ sitting well. And this wasn't a little spat about Leah screwing around with a human anymore. It was a dominance thing that was quickly spiraling out of control.

_This isn't over_. Sam said to Leah and Jake.

_You know where to find me Asshat_. Leah grinned viciously.

_Not now Leah!_ Jake snapped at her.

Sam gave them a final menacing growl before turning and walking away with Jared and Paul trotting along behind him.

Sam shot Embry a hateful glare. _Nice to know whose side you're on_. He said scathingly.

But Embry didn't shoot any smart-ass remarks back at him because Paul was grinning at him and he was spoiling for a fight because he hadn't gotten one yet out of the two he'd been trying for.

_You're on the wrong side dickhead_. Paul taunted him.

_Maybe not all of us like grabbing ankle and being Sam's bitch as much as you do_. Embry snarled back.

But Paul only grinned even wider. _Keep a close eye on your new boyfriend_. He threw back before following Sam into the woods.

Embry gave a short sigh of relief to see the backs of them as he and his human ran to the road because things were beyond fucked right now. As if they didn't have enough problems at the moment with the Seattle vampires coming and the fucking Volturi coming and fighting with the Cullens – now they had to add mutiny to the list because their pack was too big and it was tearing at the seams and the only way for Sam to keep control was to lay down the law. Unfortunately, the law Sam wanted to lay down was not going to sit well with most of them and that was only going to drive the wedge in further.

Fuck.

_Leah, you're hurt!_ Seth whined, trying to get closer to his sister.

_It's nothing kid_. Leah tried to shake him off and hobbled a bit to the side to get some of her personal space back while she healed. But then her human was there, kneeling in front of her and fucking flirting with her right there in front of them, and Sam and everyone else could hear every word the human said… '_sexy as hell and an incredible kisser_' …and Leah rolled her eyes at Sam's lashing out at Jared who was trying to keep him from coming back.

"Remind me after this blood trail thing to have a little chat with Mr. Alpha would you?" Dean said to his brother and he was beyond pissed if his expression was anything to go on.

_Sounds like a great idea to me_. Sam hissed.

"Just you, Alpha-Douche and Mr. Smith & Wesson?" The brother asked.

_Back off Sam!_ Seth warned his alpha.

"Sounds like a party to me." Leah's human agreed.

_Wouldn't miss it for the world_. Sam snarled.

_Don't think I'm not invited too you dick._ Leah grinned.

And Embry cast his eyes skyward and prayed for patience because they were sitting on a fucking powder-keg and no one knew how long the fucking fuse was.

A/N: Whoo! That was a little difficult to write being in so many minds and in such an urgent setting as that one. I hope I got the message out and didn't confuse anyone by assuming you can read my mind and that I was being clear enough in the writing itself. It's a little hard having two Sam's to write in the same scene like that. Hope you all enjoyed that one ;D


	18. ScentTrails

Disclaimer: None of them. Not. One.

17. Scent-Trails

Jake and Seth took off right away after the scuffle. Jake gave them a mutinous look but Dean didn't really expect anything else from the guy. Seth turned and whined a little but Leah gave him a sharp bark and the kid took off full tilt after Jake. Dean picked up his discarded gear from where he'd left it when he'd pinned Leah to the car. The thought of the nookie interruption made him even angrier at Alpha-Douche if that was even possible.

They hiked up the trail towards the clearing. Leah and Embry were in front leading the way while the third wolf, the one that had sided with Leah and Seth during the fight, trotted along behind them like a rearguard. They all had their eyes peeled for trouble but they made it to the clearing without seeing a thing other than a startled deer.

Carlisle and Esme started jogging over to greet them with pinched and worried faces when they reached the clearing. Jasper and Alice were some ways away talking to Rosalie and a completely upright-and-moving-under-his-own-power Emmett. Both hunters tensed as Emmett broke away and started to head over towards them. Emmett looked like he could crush cinder blocks in his hands and Dean didn't want him near them at all. He actually started to reach for his machete, the wolves started growling and Esme's eyes went wide at the thought of another fight.

"Please…" she begged him, "…don't." She yelled over to her advancing brick-wall of a son, "Emmett, go back."

But Emmett just plastered a cocky grin on his face, adopted a goofy Don Knots-Apple-Dumpling Gang stance and held his arms in the air. "Don't shoowt!" He called in a fake, thick redneck accent as he kept coming towards him.

"Easy there, Chuckles." Dean warned him, his hand still on the handle of his machete and Sam was reaching for one of the knives on his belt. Leah was next to him and growling at the approaching leech with an anger that may be a little left over from earlier.

"I'm not gonna cause trouble. You could ask Lassie, the Littlest Hobo and Wishbone to back off though." Emmett grinned happily at the three snarling wolves a few feet from him. Dean didn't doubt that he was thinking of punting one across the clearing like a football. The wolves and the leeches clearly had little tolerance for each other.

"Emmett…" Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation. "Son… don't provoke the wolves."

Except for Carlisle and Esme it seemed – who appeared to genuinely appreciate the wolves' presence.

"I didn't do anything." He defended himself, smirking because he was getting under people's skin.

"Something you want?" Sam asked, hand still on the knife handle at his waist.

"I just wanted to be the one to tell you jokers that there were three more killings in Seattle last night."

"Sonofabitch!" Dean yelled.

"That's it. We are _barbecuing_ that bitch." Sam cursed.

"That's what I thought." Emmett grinned at them and it was kinda creepy to have a linebacker vampire smiling at them like they were old friends. "Not that I'm not pissed at you for everything you guys have done since you came here… But since you're sticking around to fight regardless of the fucking targets on your asses, I'm willing to let go of the poison thing for the time being."

"The time being?" Sam's eyebrow shot up into his shaggy hair.

"There's a bigger problem right now than the poison you shot me with, Stretch."

"So what about later?" Dean asked calmly, wanting to know if they had to worry about Emmett sneaking up on them later.

The big vamp just shrugged. "Depends on how well you guys fight in the morning I guess."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sam demanded, the wolves baring their teeth at the bloodsucker.

"Well, if you two suck and we have to save your cans, then I'll enjoy every minute of making your remaining time with us miserable."

"And if we fight well?" Dean asked, smirking himself because he couldn't see them fighting any other way.

"Then no harm no foul and I'll keep my mouth shut." The big guy grinned idiotically at them and if he wasn't a creepy ass vampire, Emmett may have been a fun guy to get a beer with – despite him looking like a roid-popping frat boy. Emmett clapped his hands together and smiled at the snarling wolves before turning a knowing grin back to the hunters. "You guys have fun on the scent trail. Try not to throw Eddie and Bellie off the side of the mountain." He said to the brothers.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean's brow furrowed as he tried to work out the implication.

"You'll see." Emmett smirked and started to walk away. He turned and started walking backwards as he called out to them, "But if you two assholes try to take another shot at my woman you'll fucking pay for it." And Dean didn't doubt the silly grin on the dude's face was just for show. That was a very real warning he just gave them. It wasn't one that Dean wanted to test anyway – the more distance between them and Rosalie the better.

"Ignore him." Carlisle said flatly. "He's still a little upset about last night."

"Ya think?" Sam groused.

"Edward and Bella will be here in a moment." Esme spoke. "They're just down the trail a little ways talking." She pointed off towards the far side of the clearing.

_Talking. Right_. Dean thought acerbically. Teenagers didn't _talk_.

"I wanted to give this to you." Esme looked embarrassed as she slid a black book-bag off her back and handed it to Sam.

"What's this?" Sam hefted the bag in his hand, feeling the weight of it.

"The hike will be a long one." Carlisle said.

"Edward has provisions for Bella at the top, but you two will have to come back down and I didn't know if you would have necessities with you or not." Esme looked like she would blush if she could.

Dean quirked an eyebrow at mommy-vamp as Sam opened the book-bag and shifted through the contents. Dean leaned over to take a peek when Sam gave Esme a small smile.

Bottled water, apples, granola bars, cookies, "…Is that a bag of M&M's?" Dean asked hopefully, spotting the yellow bag and feeling the corners of his mouth turn up. Leah barked a laugh at him.

"Yes, and there are some sandwiches in the small insulated bag in the bottom. There's an ice pack in there with them to keep them from going bad."

"Cuz Salmonella is bad news." Dean smirked.

"I am a doctor, son." Carlisle said with an earnest severity. "Food poisoning can take a grown man out for days."

Dean had to laugh. They'd poisoned their family, nearly killed their son, and threatened them all with death… and they packed them a freaking lunch. With M&M's! They were so nice it was kinda creepy. Even if they were human – they were so nice it was creepy.

"We know what you're doing is hard for you." Esme turned to him. "You don't trust us and fighting with us goes against your nature." She gestured to Carlisle and herself, "… But we've been going against our nature since we became… this." She gestured at her body and Dean had to admit that Esme had a killer body – for a dead chick. "It's not easy, but we do it so we can live with ourselves. And we want to make sure that you are able to make it back to your friends when this is all over."

"Ummm… Thanks Esme." Sam stammered uneasily.

_Are his ears getting red?_

"We also wanted to give you this." Carlisle handed Sam a piece of paper. Dean didn't miss the fact that they seemed more at ease with Sam and tended to leave a little more space between him and themselves.

"What's this?" Sam took the piece of paper and unfolded it.

"Our cell phone numbers for when you're up there." Carlisle explained. He looked a little embarrassed. "We know about the… _trouble_… earlier. Between you and some of the wolves."

"How…?" Sam asked, brow furrowing.

"Some of the wolves were in Edward's range when the altercation started." Esme said. "Since their minds are connected, if one of them is in range, they're all in range."

"You hear that Leah?" Dean plastered an annoyed smirk on his face. "Edward's a receiver for Lupine Radio." Leah rolled her eyes at him in response.

"He does find it fascinating." Esme said softly.

"I'll bet. All kinds of minds he can eavesdrop on." Sam said snidely.

"He can't control it." Carlisle defended his son. "He can't turn it off. He would rather not have his gift than listen to some of the things he's privy to."

"I can just imagine what the guy is subjected to while in a hormone infested high school." Dean grinned evilly, "…Dear Penthouse…" and Leah and the other wolves snickered too.

"Please." Esme frowned. "These are our children you're talking about."

"Sorry ma'am." Sam apologized and nudged him sharply in the arm with his elbow.

"Ow, dude."

"Anyway," Carlisle continued on, "…if there is any trouble up there, please don't hesitate to call."

"Sure Doc." Dean muttered, knowing he'd of burned that piece of paper the second they were out of the clearing if Sammy hadn't just tucked it into his pocket like a frigging keepsake.

"Great." Sam muttered, earning a questioning glance from the Cullens. "Alice is coming over."

"She's sorry she tricked you last night." Esme made to grab at Sam's elbow but pulled back last second.

"Yeah, I'll bet." Sam rolled his eyes as the tiniest vampire in the world skipped her way over.

"Good morning boys." She sang happily.

"Eat me." Sam growled.

"Wrong choice of words there dude." Dean muttered. The wolves were standing closer to the humans now that there were three vamps so close to them and they were vibrating with pent up aggression. It really wasn't their strong suit to be so close to the leeches and to not attack.

"You're still upset with me about last night?" She tilted her head to the side as if she couldn't understand why he'd be mad at her.

"Alice, I would cheerfully set you on fire if Esme wasn't around right now." Sam scowled down at her.

"Is he always so melodramatic?" She frowned at Dean.

"Hey, don't look at me for sympathy Sweetheart," Dean groused. "You're not exactly on my Facebook Friends list either."

"What do you want Alice?" Sam groaned.

"Just to tell you that there's a freak snow-storm blowing in tonight. You'll want to make it back down the mountain before it hits. It won't be so bad down at this elevation, but it's going to be a real mess up there." She nodded at the mountains. "I wouldn't want you two to get frostbite." She smirked.

"A snow storm?" Dean asked incredulously. "It's freaking summer."

"Alice is more reliable than the local meteorologists." Carlisle defended his daughter. "And typical weather patterns don't apply in the Rockies."

"Doc, if you were any more straight-laced…" Dean trailed off. How could a vampire be so vanilla?

"Do you have sweaters with you in case you get cold?" A concerned Esme asked.

_You have got to be kidding me_. Dean rolled his eyes. _They should just get this chick to work in an orphanage or something. Put all those maternal instincts to good use_.

"We'll be fine Esme." Sam answered her.

And why was Sam being so nice to the Doc and his wife? Granted, they were being awfully considerate to them, but it was freaking weird to have vampires treating you like you were their kids' friends. He didn't know how to act around them with them being so nice and understanding all the time. Freaking M&M's!

_And how can a vampire have dimples?_ Dean thought angrily as Esme smiled shyly at Sam, said dimples appearing in her cheeks like magic.

"Stop looking at him." Sam said abruptly, turning his head and glaring at Alice. Dean flicked his gaze to the psychic who was staring at him in a way that made him distinctly uncomfortable.

Alice didn't even bother to look apologetic. "Doesn't matter, I can't see a thing. You're shielding him."

"I want you to stop looking for our futures." Sam growled through gritted teeth.

"Don't you want to know what's around the corner for you?"

"No!" Sam spat. And suddenly Dean got it. It hit him in the face like a tanker truck full of lead. Sam didn't want Alice watching him in case she saw what was coming for him in a few weeks time. Dean felt his face pale and his heart rate jack up at the thought of the Hellhounds coming for him and tearing him to bits. Leah leaned into his side, she could probably feel his heart racing as he fought with himself to regain some semblance of control before Sam noticed. The Leah-tendrils floating in his stomach seemed to reach for her at the contact and it helped to calm his rampaging pulse.

"Alice," Esme interrupted, worry marring her pretty face as she looked at him. "…Dear, please don't watch for them. It makes them uncomfortable."

"Sorry Esme." She said to her mother. "I won't do it again." She said to the boys with a sincere look in her eyes that neither brother believed. The thoughts, _evil little pixie_ and _fucking hellhounds_ and _Lilith_ running circles through his head.

"Here they come now." Carlisle clapped his hands together and nodded towards the far side of the clearing. Doc was clearly at a loss of what was going on and Dean was able to put his mask back on before Sam looked at him, confusion and concern written clear as day across his face as Dean wasn't sure that he put the mask up in time.

Edward and Bella were walking out of the trees with their fingers intertwined. Bella stumbled over something, and Edward caught her arm as Bella regained her balance. Dean didn't miss the huff and eye roll that came out of Leah at the spectacle. He had to snicker along with her – the girl was pretty, but an utter klutz. And he had to work hard to act normal because Sam was fucking watching him now and Sam would expect him to laugh at the ditz.

"Please keep your thoughts to yourself." Edward snapped at him as they approached.

_Damn it, forgot about the blocks_. And he instantly put them up, keeping the mind-reader out of his head. If Caleb were here, he'd give him hell for forgetting and letting the vampire even get a glimpse of his thoughts. He hoped like fuck that Eddo hadn't been listening a minute ago when he nearly started hyperventilating about the hellhounds.

"That means you too." Edward spoke slowly, glaring now at Leah.

Leah only grinned back at him and Dean suppressed his forced laughter as Edward's lips went thin in an effort not to say something back to her. Dean wished he could hear what she was saying – Edward was getting pissed.

A Herculean effort kept the mask up – Sam was still watching him.

_Stop looking at me like that Sammy_.

"Just ignore her Edward." Bella squeezed his arm in what should have been a reassuring manner, only Eddo continued to glare at the wolves now, clearly getting madder and madder at what they were saying to him.

Eddie looked at Dean and plastered a fake smile on his face. "So… It looks like you're making friends with the wolves."

"Yeah, I heard you were eavesdropping earlier." Dean's voice was thick with sarcasm.

_Please don't be listening a minute ago, please don't be listening a minute ago…_

"Believe me, I do not wish to be privy to your extra curricular activities."

Leah stepped forward and Edward hissed, "It astounds me how un-lady-like you are, Leah."

But Carlisle stepped in between Leah and the leech, saying, "That's enough. Edward, I believe you have a job to do today?"

"Of course. You're right Carlisle, we don't have time to bicker with the wolves and the humans."

"Alice says there's a snow storm coming in tonight." Esme said to her son.

"She told me earlier. I've already taken up the winter gear."

"The winter gear?" Dean's eyebrow quirked.

"Yes, it's part of the cover." Carlisle explained. "Since we try to live normal lives here, when the sun shines, the kids can't go to school for obvious reasons. So we've adopted an outdoor enthusiast persona. They think we go hiking and camping all the time so we have to buy gear from the local camping equipment store to fuel the rumor."

"We heard about that when we were digging for information on you." Sam bit his lower lip. "I thought you were a family of Demi-Gods and you did rituals in the forest or something."

"Demi-Gods? Really?" Carlisle sounded genuinely amused at the idea.

Sam only shrugged. "We didn't think you were vamps at first. I mean… You're a _doctor_. Your family is way bigger than other covens and death doesn't follow you around like a shadow. You don't fit the profile."

"I suppose that is why we've never come across your brethren before… Your… _Brotherhood_."

"If you fly below the radar… No. We never would have a reason to believe a group like yours existed. We've only come across one other family like yours before."

"Really?" Excitement was zinging in his voice. "In Denali, Alaska perhaps?"

"No. Red Lodge, Montana. Lenore and Eli were the heads of that family. They've moved on though."

"More like us? They feed from animals instead of humans?" Doc's face was lighting up like a freaking Christmas tree.

Dean was getting tired of sitting on the outside of the conversation, and he didn't really like how Sam seemed to be warming up to the parents of this outfit. At least the guy was suitably annoyed with the rest of the Cullen family. "Can we get this show on the road please? I wanna make it back down before I lose my bits to frostbite."

"Yes, of course." Carlisle agreed and Dean caught Edward rolling his eyes at his father and Sam – evidently catching some thought in his daddy's mind. "But Sam… If you wouldn't mind later… Could you tell me more about that other family? And these Demi-Gods? They sound like fascinating things to study."

"They're violent and bloodthirsty Doc." Dean cut in, taking the wind out of Carlisle's sails. "Just like most of the things we hunt."

"Please forgive me. I only want to know about what else is out there… And the others like us." And the head vamp had a look on his pale handsome face that made Dean think he'd just kicked a puppy, until he gave his head a shake and shouted at himself that dude was a vampire. Regardless of what his diet was, he was a vampire and thereby earning him a spot on the shit-list if not the hit-list.

"I'm leaving." He stated, turning north towards the path that would lead them up the mountain. "Anyone coming with me?"

* * *

They'd been traveling for about twenty minutes – and they'd only traveled a third of a mile – at best. Dean now understood why Emmett had taunted them about throwing the pair of them off the mountain. Bella was aggravatingly slow, stumbling over tree roots and rocks in the path, and Edward was coddling her. His arm around her waist, the picture of patience as he helped her up the trail as if she were made of spun glass or rare crystal. Dean could nearly hear Leah grinding her teeth at the slow pace, and she and Embry were more than ten yards out to their left threading their way through the trees so as not to contaminate the human scents on the path. And they were still in a relatively flat section of the trail! What was gonna happen when the hit the steeper part?

Dean shot a hand out to Sam's chest, halting him in his tracks. Edward and Bella continued on as if they were the only two people in the world as the Winchesters exchanged a look that spoke volumes. Namely, _we gotta speed this shit up_.

"On three?" Sam asked, holding out a fist.

"Three." Dean agreed, holding out his fist as well as they both chanted, "One, two, three," bringing their fists down on every count the same way they've solved dilemmas since they were kids. The sacred '_Rock, Paper, Scissors_' King Solomon-approved method of decision making. Much better and infinitely less messy than sawing a kid in half.

"Goddamn it!" Dean cursed, looking at their hands and knowing he lost. "One of these days someone is gonna hafta explain to me how paper beats a rock." Sam grinned at him and Dean let loose again. "Cuz if I were a rock, I would tear your paper ass up."

"Paper covers rock, Dean." He looked smug as he slapped Dean's closed fist – rock – with his flat palm.

"Who the fuck covers rocks with paper anyways?" He grumbled as he turned to see Edward and Bella only slightly farther up the trail then when he and Sam stopped a moment ago. "Rocks are natural freaking paper-weights dude."

"I didn't make the rules man." He smirked and nodded towards the lovebirds. "What's your plan?"

But Dean just turned and stalked up the pathway, calling, "Eddo! Bella! Wait up a sec."

The pair halted and turned to see him coming up to them. "What do you want?" Edward asked, a hint of acid in his voice.

"We're just wondering if there's anyway we could speed this up. Sammy and I have to get back down before Ice Age hits the mountain tonight."

"Bella is going as fast as is safe for her." Edward answered, the acidity creeping up a notch.

"She's not gonna fall and shatter into a million fucking pieces man."

"Watch your language around her!" Eddie seethed.

"Just ignore them Edward." Bella placed a hand on her boyfriend's dead arm and Dean lost it. These two were really just too much for him to handle.

He dropped and stepped forward at the same time, catching Bella's stomach on his shoulder and clamping an arm around her legs, lifting her up so she was slung over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Dean you jerk! Put me down this instant!" Bella screamed, kicking what she could of her legs and beating the small of his back with her fists. Dean bit back a laugh at the feeble punches.

Edward was in his face in an instant, face cold and deadly as he cocked a fist back. "Put. Her. Down." He spit out through bared teeth.

"You hit me, I drop her." Dean smirked at him, hefting Bella on his shoulder a bit so her breath was pushed out of her on the slight impact. Edward turned his murderous gaze on a laughing Sam. "You hit him, he'll drop you." Dean threatened him, sensing his brother take a ready stance as Edward seemed to consider going after the Ginormatron known as Sam.

"How in the hell am I supposed to lay a scent trail if you're carrying me you jerk!?" Bella demanded, landing a surprisingly good punch in his kidney as she said it. It was hard to come off as in control when you were ass up over someone's shoulder.

_Not a bad ass_. Dean mused, letting that one out past the blocks to further infuriate Edward as he gave said ass a good once over since it was an inch from his face. _You could really take a bite out of it – couldn't you Eddo? …Whoops... Bad innuendo, huh?_

"Bella needs to put her scent on the trail." Edward hissed. "Put her down. Now."

"I think she could do it from where she's at." Dean smirked. "Just reach out and fondle the foliage Bella." He said, giving his own ass a little shake as her face was right beside it. "…And just admire the view." He could see Leah with her paw over her muzzle barking with laughter at the display going on in front of her. Dean sent a wink her way and hoped they would have a chance to pick up where they left off earlier. Now Leah had an ass he wanted to take a bite out of…

"Dean!" Bella screamed, kicking one foot up and nearly getting him in the face. He was less than gentle as he dropped her back on her feet, where she stumbled and was caught by a scowling Edward.

"We move faster." Dean glared at them. "I don't care if you grab her by the ankles and drag her up the fucking mountain on her back. We move faster."

* * *

They were traveling faster now. Edward had an arm wrapped around Bella's waist and was nearly carrying her up the path. Her feet were trailing in the dirt and she had an arm out, running her hand over the ferns and other foliage as they went. She even ran her hands through her hair now and then and left the loose strands to float to the ground behind her.

Dean was quite content to keep everything silent once Edward refused to translate for Leah, grumbling that he wasn't a dating service. But Sam was Sam and he started asking a million questions like he always did. Dean tried to ignore them and instead concentrated on the wispy tendrils in his chest that meant Leah was near. He didn't even have to see where she was, the tendrils kind of pointed out where she was in relation to him. Like they were reaching for her – however new-agey douchiness that sounded.

It wasn't until Sam started asking him about school that Dean started to pay attention. Apparently, Edward had earned several degrees over the decades – including Law, Medicine, Literature, Music, and Architecture.

"Had to be hard in towns that don't rain as much as this place does." Sam said while ducking under a low lying branch.

"The Literature one I earned mostly by correspondence. It was an unnaturally dry year in Newfoundland that year."

"Yeah," Dean cut in, seeing a good opportunity to take a shot or two at the guy, "…If I sparkled in the sunlight like a little girl's sequined tutu, I'd steer clear of daylight too." Leah, Sam and Embry started chuckling.

"I think it's beautiful." Bella shot back at him.

"Well your mental state isn't all there in my books Sweetheart. I mean… you find out he's a vampire, and you date him anyway? A sane girl would have run away screaming for the torches and pitchforks."

"You don't understand anything!" She yelled at him. "You're just prejudiced."

"That's not true. I hate every supernatural sonofabitch that tries to hurt people. Regardless of what type of supernatural sonofabitch they are."

"Edward doesn't hurt anyone!"

"Bella… Love…" Edward said, trying to get her keep moving. But Dean didn't miss the look on his face. Guilt, regret and shame were looks he'd recognize a mile off. He was a Winchester after all and guilt, regret and shame were right up his alley.

"Who'd you kill Edward?"

"They were all criminals." Bella hissed.

_Now we're getting somewhere_.

"Bella…" Edward tugged gently on her waist but Bella turned on him.

"They were! Even Rosalie told me Edward. You shouldn't be ashamed of trying to help people!"

"I killed those men Bella. I murdered them." He insisted.

"Murderers and rapists Edward." She argued back, getting right up in his face and poking him in the chest. Dean had to hand it to her, she had guts. No common sense… but she had guts.

"That doesn't excuse it."

"It certainly doesn't." Dean agreed but Bella whirled around gave him a hateful glare.

"You think that only the supernatural can be monsters?" She demanded. "What about the human monsters that prey on the innocent huh?" But Bella wasn't done yet because she tore out of Edwards grip and strode up to him like she had no worries about the machete strapped on his back or the gun tucked into his jeans. Shoving him hard in the chest she yelled up at him right in his face. "You hunt monsters, you kill them. You've said so yourself. Why can't the supernatural hunt the human monsters? Edward has a gift that he can hear the thoughts of these beasts, and there's no question of their guilt."

"But Sam and I have never tried to _eat_ what we took down." Dean yelled back at her. Why didn't this chick understand that vampire equals bad news. "There were no ulterior motives behind what we were doing."

"Dean," Sam grabbed his arm, "…Dude, just let it go."

"No." Dean yanked his arm out of Sam's grip. "She needs to understand the full vastness of her stupid choices."

"I'd be dead right now if it weren't for him." Bella hissed, tears building in her eyes. "He has saved my life over and over and over. He is good. He is kind, and he loves me. So you can look down your nose at us all you want… but he is _**my**_ choice!"

"Do you understand what being with him means Bella?" Dean shouted, ignoring Sam's exasperated huff in favor of noticing that Edward wasn't trying to stop him from yelling these things to his girlfriend. It was almost as if he wanted Bella to hear these things – for her to change her mind about him. If Dean weren't so busy being mad, he might have looked into it a little deeper. As it was… "You will have to be turned to be with him – do you understand that? And there's no changing your mind about it later Bella. It's permanent. You will have to leave behind everyone you've ever cared about. Your dad, your mom, your friends… Jake."

That one seemed to rattle her the most. "Jake will always be my friend. He promised me." She whispered.

"It'll be kinda hard to be friends when you want to kill each other."

"That won't happen." She breathed, and the tears in her eyes threatened to spill over while Edward still did not stop him from shouting at her.

"A normal life, kids, jobs, vacations to the Grand Canyon, getting older, grandkids." Dean ticked all of these things off on his fingers watching her flinch at every one. "You will have none of that. You are throwing your life away for this guy!"

And Dean was beyond angry at her. She had a chance at a normal life and was pissing it away. He and Sam would have killed to have that kind of apple pie life. One where they went to baseball games with their dad, not clubbing ghouls in old cemeteries with a Louisville Slugger. Going camping and roasting hotdogs on an open fire, not salting and burning the corpse of a violent spirit. Sam had run away to Stanford to get away from this shit-hole life that had been served to them on a fucking garbage can lid – and look what happened there. Yellow-Eyes went after him anyways and incinerated his innocent girlfriend. He would be dead in two weeks, roasting and screaming in Hellfire, and she was gonna throw her life away. Throw it away to become a _vampire_.

"I've made my choice." She choked out, the brimming tears falling down her cheeks now. "I know who I can't live without. And if that means eternity as a vampire with the man I love… then so be it."

She turned and stomped away from him, but not before Dean saw a shadow of doubt glimmer in her eyes.

And he thought – that maybe – he said something that might have gotten through to her.

A/N: This chapter was impossible. I had the biggest case of writer's block in the world during most of this one. I just couldn't get what I wanted on the screen. I knew where I had to go, I just couldn't get there. I had to have the seeds of doubt start to show between Bella and her choice that we all saw in Eclipse when she was up the mountain with Jake, and I had to show the start of the breaking down of the walls between the Winchesters and the Cullens. Let me know if I was successful or if you think I've lost my ever-lovin mind.


	19. BloodTrails

Disclaimer: Yeah… and unicorns ride on silver moonbeams and shoot rainbows outta their ass…

18. Blood-Trails

It was dead silence between the whole party for the rest of the four hour journey up the trail until they met up with Jake. Again, dude was just in a pair of shorts, and bare-chested – no doubt showing off his abs for Bella. He was carrying a down parka which looked odd considering he was only in shorts. But the parka was for Bella because apparently it was going to get really bad tonight. Dean looked up at the sky through the trees. It had gone from being a rare sunny day in Washington to the usual overcast sky, with darker clouds rolling in over the mountains as they spoke.

Bella and Edward were wearing strained faces which Jake raised an eyebrow at. As Bella and Edward stepped away from the group for a few minutes, Dean approached Jake for a few words with him, a little wary as the last time he'd seen Jake human, the guy slugged him one and his jaw was still sore because of it.

"What did you do?" Jake asked him before Dean could even open his mouth.

"Huh?"

"Bells and Eddie." He nodded at the two who were off in their own little world. "What'd ya do?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" He asked indignantly. What was is about him that people automatically thought he'd done something wrong? Sam walked up when he heard the tone of his brother's voice change and came to see what was going on.

"Cuz I know that girl." Jake said simply. "She's upset about something, you've been around her the last couple hours, and you're a troublemaker."

Dean shrugged. You couldn't argue logic. "I yelled at her. A lot."

Jake actually chuckled a bit. "Yeah. I heard it."

"How…?"

"I was running wolf. Leah and Embry were there, so we all heard it. Quil in particular liked the sequined tutu bit."

Dean was frustrated. "If you already knew I'd yelled at her, why would you bother to ask me?"

Jake shrugged. "Wanted to see if you'd man up to it or not."

"Dude. This ain't kindergarten. I'm not gonna lie about yelling at some chick 'cuz I think she's making a monumental mistake."

"Yell at her all you want about that. You're not the only one who thinks she's making the wrong choice."

"What's the deal between you two anyway?" Dean narrowed his eyes at the big guy.

Jake shrugged again and looked over at Bella and Edward. "She's my friend… but she's more than that to me now. Dickhead was gone for awhile – left because he thought he was protecting her. It fucking killed me to see her with him – before I knew what he was – but I figured that eventually they'd split up, you know how it is in high-school… that shit never lasts and then I'd have a shot at her. So after he left her, she was in bad shape – real fuckin' messed up – and she and I started hanging around all the time and I fell for her hard. She started coming around after a bit. I was willing to be as patient as possible 'cuz I knew I was in love with her and it would just take a little while for her to realize that she and I were right for each other." He sent a frown Edward's way, no doubt sending clear mental messages to the vamp-fuck as his voice got darker. "She was starting to come around, when the fortune teller showed up on her door and told her that he'd gone to Volterra seeking a death sentence because he thought Bells had committed suicide on account of him."

"Why'd he think that?" Sam asked surprised. Dean had to agree. Bella was nuts to be with a vamp, and an idiot to want to become one… but suicidal? That was messed up.

"She wanted to try cliff jumping." Jake shrugged. "I was gonna take her but she didn't wait for me and apparently the fortune teller saw her jump off the cliff."

"Alice didn't see her come back up?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I was coming up the trail when I saw her jump. I waited a second for her to come up, but when she didn't, I jumped in to pull her out. She nearly drowned. So the fortune teller didn't see her come back up because I was with her, and the little bitch can't see us." Jake looked shrewdly at Sam. "Any idea why she can see your brother but she can't see you, Slick?"

Sam stiffened immediately. His face went tight and his brow furrowed as his eyes narrowed. "I don't know."

Jake actually snorted in laughter at him. "Alright. You don't know. But with a poker face like that one… Don't go betting any big money anytime soon. 'Kay?"

"Fuck you." Sam bristled and Dean stood between the two giants with an arm out towards each to keep them apart because Sam looked ready to nail the guy and Dean didn't think that would be productive at the moment as it was gonna be bad enough with Alpha-Douche on their asses without adding Jake to the list as well.

Which brought up Dean's next question. "You wanna tell us what that whole thing this morning was about?"

Jake smirked and nodded towards Leah several yards away in the trees. "Ask her."

"Kinda hard when I don't understand wolf and Douchebag over there won't translate for me."

"Look," Jake huffed. "There are some… _issues_… going on in the pack right now. Sam's a little stressed lately and you seem to have a knack for setting people off."

Dean couldn't argue that point either.

"Just… Just don't go after him okay?" Jake sounded like he was pleading with him.

"Dude, we can handle ourselves." Dean snorted. He wasn't scared of the guy – he'd gone up against bigger and badder and he was still kicking while they were charred and buried.

Almost as if he heard Dean's thoughts, "But you'd have to kill him, and that wouldn't be any good to anyone. And there may have been guys siding against Sam this morning, but that doesn't mean that we'll take kindly to you shooting our pack-leader."

"But what was it about?" Dean nearly shouted. "Fuck man! We're gonna be shit deep in it tomorrow and we gotta know if your pack can hold it together long enough to take these fuckers out!"

"Don't worry about us. We got a job to do and our pack problems come second."

"But what are the pack problems?" Sam insisted. "Are we gonna have to worry about some of your guys coming after us now? 'Cuz that's what it looked like what was happening this morning when that other wolf went up against Embry and me and your Alpha going after Leah."

"No." Jake growled. "Sam Uley stepped over the line and stuck his muzzle in somewhere where it didn't belong. What happened this morning was the pack working out our issues."

Dean laughed angrily. "Him attacking Leah was '_working out issues?_' Dude – you guys belong on Jerry Springer."

"Why? Do you guys do the whole touchy-feely-EMO bit?"

Dean scowled. Point of logic number three went to the Quileute. But the Winchesters didn't get to argue with Jake anymore as Edward and Bella came back over.

Edward asked Jake, "You know where the campsite is located?"

"Yeah. I'll come in at it from the east and I'll follow your stink in from there."

Dean snorted as Edward rolled his eyes, leaning in to kiss Bella on the forehead. "I'll see you soon, Love." He turned to the hunters. "Good luck in tomorrow's fight. Give 'em hell." And damn if he didn't sound genuine. The mind-reader turned on his heel and ran into the woods, darting in between trees and holding a girls shirt in his hand that he allowed to smack against tree trunks to lay a false trail for the Newborns to follow in case they managed to miss the blood trail the boys were setting.

Bella stared off after him miserably before turning to Jake. "Ready Jake?"

Jake gave her a rakish grin and scooped her up in his arms bridal style. He looked like he was enjoying himself way too much and Bella smacked him on the bare chest telling him, "Behave."

"Toss her over your shoulder man." Dean suggested. "She likes that." Jake laughed but Bella just scowled at him. Dean rolled his eyes at her. Chick had no sense of humor. He pulled his scent amulet out of his pocket and dropped it into her hand, folding her fingers over it tight. "Put that on and tuck it under your shirt so it presses against your skin. It doesn't work if it's not touching your skin."

"What about the blood trail? And Jasper? If you go back there without this and you have open cuts, he'll lose it." Panic and concern leeched into her voice and as much aggravation as they'd given each other since the standoff last night, it was kinda touching that she was worried about them.

"You let us worry about Jasper. You just don't trip down the side of the mountain."

She groaned at the shot at her clumsiness before she smiled at Jake. "If I have this, you don't need to carry me." She dropped the wooden disk over her head and slipped under the neck of her shirt, patting it proudly.

"You don't have eight hours to reach the camp Bella." Sam smirked.

"Besides," Jake grinned, holding her against his chest tightly. "This is just so much more fun."

"Jerk."

"You love me."

"I barely tolerate you."

"Keep lying to yourself, Honey. You and I both know you'd prefer hot blooded male over cold, dead and creepy."

"You wish."

"You're right. I do." He said with simple honesty and Dean wondered how the guy could wear his heart so openly on his sleeve like that.

Bella seemed to blanch at that, if that were even possible as she was nearly as pale as the vampires she hung with. "Jake. I can't do this right now. _We_ can't do this right now." And she looked pointedly at the hunters.

"Come on Sammy." Dean cuffed him on the back of the shoulder. "Lovebirds don't need an audience."

Jake turned on the trail and called over his shoulder. "Be careful, and see you in the morning."

"Yeah." Sam answered. "You too. Good luck."

They watched for a moment as Jake jogged up the trail holding Bella in his arms as if she weighed ten pounds instead of a buck ten. Dean pulled a clean knife from his waist and pulled the sleeve of his shirt back to reveal his forearm. "I'll go first and spill a little here to give them a chance of disappearing without the Newborns stopping to wonder why her scent vanished."

The knife had been honed to razor sharpness, and Dean didn't even feel the pain the slice across his flesh should have generated. Not at first anyway. After he worked his fist a couple times to get the blood flowing out of the cut, he let some pool on the ground at their feet.

"Let's go."

* * *

The hike back down went much faster than the one up. First, gravity was much kinder to them in this direction, and second, they didn't have Bella's klutziness to hamper their speed. The wolves were still their silent shadows, several yards out in the trees and keeping their eyes and ears on things. Dean wished he could ask Leah what the hell was going on in her pack, but all he could do was focus on the hike and the wisps of Leah in his chest that just wouldn't go away.

They stopped after an hour of walking to sit on a fallen tree to eat some of the food that Esme had packed for them. Dean would never admit it, but he was getting a little lightheaded from the hike, the sleep deprivation, the elevation and the constant bleeding. He'd just been letting his arm hang down as they walked, the blood dripping slowly to the ground while he worked his fist to keep the blood from clotting too quickly. And once it stopped flowing, he'd carve another slice into his arm. He had three now on his left arm, a bit of a mess really, and he was glad that he wasn't squeamish because the thick streaks of blood on his arm were pretty nasty looking. He hadn't let Sam slice himself up yet, not wanting to chance Jasper going after him. Sam tossed him a bottle of water, the bag of M&M's and a sandwich. The sandwiches were huge, made of thick, fresh bread and full of cold cuts and cheese, and Dean wondered if mommy-vamp had a little mind-reading ability of her own because it was the best damn sandwich he'd had in weeks. Both brothers offered half to their wolf escort, who both turned their muzzles up at it like the food offended them. So Dean stuffed himself on the sandwich, and packed away half the bag of M&M's before Sam pulled a small first aid kit out of the black book bag.

"Hey man, let's clean you up and wrap up that arm." Sam offered.

"No dude, I'm good."

Sam huffed at him. "Dude, I'm not a little kid here. I can add to the blood trail so that you're not bleeding out before we get back."

"I'm fine. That lunch break was just what I needed."

"Dean, it's almost six." Sam said exasperatedly. "We need to get back down this fucking mountain, get out of here, and be rested up enough to fight in the morning. We can't do that if you pass out from blood loss and I have to drag your heavy ass back down." And Sam didn't even wait for Dean to argue with him before he grabbed Dean's wrist and poured half his bottle of water over his arm.

"Dude! What the hell!"

"It's water, not peroxide. Don't be a baby." Sam muttered as he pulled some napkins from the book bag and started wiping at Dean's arm.

"You were drinking out of that bottle." Dean snapped as he yanked the napkins from Sam's hand and started wiping up his own arm. "You just got your cooties all over my cuts."

"Cooties or gangrene, take your pick man." Sam rummaged around the small kit and pulled out a tube of antibiotic ointment, a roll of gauze and some tape. Sam snapped the top off the ointment tube. "Gimme your arm." He didn't wait for Dean to object as he yanked on his wrist again and squeezed the stinky contents of the tube over the cuts.

"I've pulled bullets out of myself with fucking pliers and a fifth of Jack," he grouched, "…I don't need you putting band-aids on my booboos." Sam ignored him as he unwound a length of gauze from the roll in his hand. "You have got to be the ugliest nurse I've ever had, Sammy." He shot at him.

"We could always get Doc Cullen to patch you up." Sam said distractedly as he folded the gauze up into a thick square and pressed it to his arm.

"Think I'll pass. Thanks." Dean replied, sarcasm thick in his voice. "What was with that earlier anyways?" He groused. "Getting pretty chummy with the leeches weren't you?"

"They're not so bad." He said, ripping a length of tape off the roll with his teeth.

"They're vampires Sam. Enough said."

Sam looked him in the eyes as he said, "We shot them full of poison, held Bella hostage and you were an inch away from killing Edward – then they packed us a fucking lunch." Sam broke eye contact and pressed the tape to his arm, securing the gauze in place. "They're not so bad – give them a chance."

"Looking to add Alice to your Facebook Friends after all Sammy?

Sam rolled his eyes as he ripped another length of tape off and pressed it to his arm. "Okay. The kids are assholes, but Carlisle and Esme are okay." He glanced over at the wolves, "Can you guys smell the blood over that ointment?" Embry lifted a massive paw and gave it a so-so wave.

Dean snorted scathingly. "Here I am trying to convince Bella to pick Jake and stay human, and here you are joining Team Cullen."

Sam face scrunched with anger. "I'm not on Team Cullen – whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean! I just don't think you're being fair to them because they're vampires." Sam tossed the first aid supplies back in the book bag. "Bella was right. You are prejudiced." He stood up abruptly, slung his gear and Esme's backpack over his shoulder, and pulled his own knife from his belt.

"Sammy! Don't!" Dean jumped up from his seat but it was too late. Sam had raked the blade over his arm, splitting the skin and red started oozing up from the wound immediately.

"I'm not a kid anymore Dean." He sneered. "And in case you've forgotten… I gotta start doing all of this myself because you're not gonna be around forever."

Dean stood there, mouth gaping in shock like Sam had just slugged him one as he watched his baby brother stalk angrily down the trail.

* * *

Sam was in a murderous mood. It was getting late, they still had at least an hour to go before they made it back to the clearing, his legs were sore and he was suffering from sleep deprivation. Mix that with all the other shit going on, Dean's deal and the fact that his brother had been singing off key for the last half hour, and yep – Sam was in a pretty piss poor mood. And it wasn't as if he wasn't used to Dean singing along with the music. He'd done that their entire lives and it drove him bat-shit… but Dean was on a pretty solid theme today. Namely, whatever he could sing to make Leah laugh and to goad the pack's Alpha. Dean shuffling though such songs as 'Clap for the Wolfman – to which he'd altered the chorus so that it talked about burning pee and ointment – Bark at the Moon, and currently, Move it on over.'

"_Move over little dog, the big ole dog is movin in._" Dean sang enthusiastically because he knew it was bothering him, bothering the Alpha too – if he was listening – and killing Leah. Dean evidently wasn't planning on heeding Jake's advice about staying clear of the Alpha because he was outright provoking the asshole.

Everything was such a fucking joke to his brother. Sam hadn't been able to sleep in weeks because of this shit, and Dean was fucking _singing_. Add to that, that Dean was adamantly refusing to see the good side to the Cullens, and Sam was at the end of his rope. He wasn't sure when the idea first hit him, it just kinda sidled up to his brain and took root there. And it's not as if Sam expected this to go down easy – Dean was explosive about the least of things – he'd had to listen to an entire ten minute tirade about engine oil brands before – so there was no way he'd expected Dean to swallow this giant-ass pill easily. Still, he was being stereotypically _Dean_ towards the vampires. In other words, stubborn and pig headed. There was so much of their father in him that it was scary sometimes.

He wished that Dean would see the Cullens the way that he was starting to see them.

As a solution.

If Dean became a vampire, it could save him – give them more time. He'd be stronger and faster, and the Hellhounds wouldn't be able to kill him because they wouldn't be able to decapitate him. Hellhounds killed by gouging and tearing a victim to death, and vampires couldn't bleed out. Sure it would hurt, but he wouldn't die – and any fighting chance was good news. Sure, eventually Lilith or one of her minions would come after him themselves, but that could give them the extra time they needed to get him out of this fucking mess or at least kill the bitch before going down.

He just needed his brother to realize that the Cullens weren't monsters. Life had handed them a shit hand and they'd dealt with it the best way they could. Sam knew exactly what the reasons behind his brother's coming explosion were going to be because they'd already been down this road before with that Doc Benton case two weeks back. And Sam realized now that that idea was never gonna take flight with Dean. Killing humans to harvest their organs? _Yeah... my bad_. Dean never would have gone along with that and Sam always knew it – it was just the desperation leeching through that actually made him think that it could have worked. But the Cullens? They didn't feed off of people and Dean was far from a vegetarian. The guy single-handedly kept several cattle ranchers in business every year. He could live off animals like the Cullens – _they_ could live off animals – 'cuz Sam would take that path too if it meant Dean lived.

He just had to show his brother that he wouldn't be ostracized for taking this route. Dean had to know that he wouldn't lose the people he loved if he went vampire – that _Sam_ would still be there beside him. He knows that Caleb will flip when he finds out, but honestly? Caleb would want Dean alive by any means necessary too – the same went for all of them. No one in their crazy extended family wanted him dead and in hell so this was a perfect option.

He just had to convince his brother of that.

* * *

The silent treatment was pissing him off. Sam hadn't said a word to him since they'd stopped to eat, and that just didn't sit well with him. He'd done everything to try and piss him off enough to snap out of it. Hell, Sam taking a swing at him would have been a welcome bit of brotherly entertainment – but the kid just kept striding down the trail, cutting a fresh slice in his arm whenever the last one dried up, much like he'd done earlier. And Dean hated seeing Sam slice at himself. He couldn't help it… he was just wired that way. _Look out for Sammy_ had been his mantra since he'd been a kid and his dad started leaving them alone, drilling that little message into his brain.

_Look out for Sammy_.

And look what had happened when he'd failed the only job he'd ever had. Jumped and stolen out of a backwoods diner, made to run a gauntlet devised by that yellow-eyed sonofabitch so that he could find his _chosen one_. Then, when he'd finally tracked his brother down… too late again and the dude in camo knifed him. Severed his fucking spinal cord and left him crumpled and dying in the fucking mud. Dying in _his_ arms. Dean having to watch the light leave his baby brother's eyes as death claimed him.

But not for long.

No. Death was not going to claim Sam Winchester. Not _his_ Sammy. He hadn't even thought twice about it. Just drove to the nearest cross-roads, dug a hole and kissed the evil bitch to seal the deal.

He'd do it again in a heartbeat.

* * *

Dean snapped his phone shut after finishing a check-in call with Caleb. There hadn't been any reception on the mountain, and when they finally found a signal, there were two messages waiting for him from his friend. Both of them telling him that if he didn't hear from him by evening, he was taking the first flight north and bringing his fucking machete.

Finally, they were nearing the end of the trail. Silence and anger reverberating between him and Sam and only another half hour to go before they reached the clearing. Of course that meant another half hour to the car, a twenty minute drive back into town, darkness falling hard and fast around them as they went because the sun had lost its battle with the clouds hours ago.

They heard Leah and Embry growl, turning towards the wolves to see where they were looking and to see what they were pissed about.

A tall and broad Native man walked out of the thick trees like he was king of the fucking forest. Striding out and standing in front of them, blocking their path with his bulk. Arms crossed over his bare chest in defiant confidence and a cocky smirk on his lips.

"Let me guess." Dean smirked back at him, anger and rage welling up from deep within him. From where the Leah tendrils were wafting up and reaching out to the Quileute like they wanted to choke the ever loving shit out of him. And Leah was beside him now, growling viciously at the man in front of them.

"…You must be Alpha-Douche."

A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this guys. Christmas time equals busy time. Hope you guys enjoy the cliffie.


	20. Company

Disclaimer: We've all got the point by now right? They aren't mine.

19. Company

"…You must be Alpha-Douche." Dean sneered.

"I heard you wanted to speak to me." Uley smirked and fuck did Dean ever want to wipe that smirk off his fucking face. This asshole attacked Leah. This asshole was gonna go against part of his pack – the part that sided with Leah and her brother anyway. And fuck did he want to know what the whole thing had been about. He had a good idea – obviously Leah's ex had a problem with her moving on to obviously bigger and better things.

_Mr. Six-Minute-Miracle_, he thought derisively.

"Yeah, I got a few choice words for ya." And Leah was growling and Embry was beside Sam and looking the opposite direction up the path and growling before Dean saw why. There were two more wolves that were emerging from the trees and headed their way. They looked like the ones that had followed their Alpha into the woods after the scene at the car earlier, but Dean couldn't be sure – it was hard to tell the wolves apart. One thing he was sure about was that if either of those two fuckers laid a paw on Leah or Embry, they were gonna know pain. Serious pain. A round in the ass from his .45 wouldn't kill them, but it would hurt like hell.

Leah was snapping her teeth at the guy, but he was coolly ignoring her as he advanced on the Winchesters. Sam made to pull his nine from his waist but Dean stopped him with a hand to the chest. "No Sammy. You keep those fuckers from jumping Embry." Because Embry, awesome as he was, was outnumbered against the newcomers that were growling at him.

Sam nodded, holding the gun in front of him as he turned to point it at the new wolves. "Back up." He threatened softly. "I won't tell you again." The wolves eyed the piece and the murderous look in Sam's eyes before backing up a couple of steps. Not far enough to make anyone comfortable, but back a few steps. They were still snarling though – one of them at least. The other seemed to be keeping a watchful eye on the whole thing. The snarling one looked like it was debating if it were fast enough to get to Sam before he could get a round off. Crazy bastard.

Uley smirked again. "You don't stand a chance. You should just leave town and don't look back."

"Why?" Dean demanded. "Do you honestly think I'm scared of _you?"_

"You would be if you were smart."

"Smart's never exactly been my strong suit." Dean grinned. "Besides… I've been up against things that would make you piss yourself in fear. You're _nothing._" He sneered.

"And you're not fit to lick her boot." He scowled at him, eyes black and hateful.

_So it really is about Leah moving on_. He mused.

"Never really had a foot kink." He snarked. "But hey… Whatever Leah wants." And he could feel her next to him. The heat pouring off her and the rumble that passed from her body to his as she growled at her alpha. And the Leah tendrils were trying to burn through him in an effort to wring Sam Uley's neck for hurting her in all the ways he's hurt her.

"Do you have a death wish or something pal?" Uley snarled.

"Let me tell you something you sorry sonofabitch." Dean said angrily, stepping forward so he was in the asshole's personal space. "You are the world's biggest fucking idiot for doing to her what you did. And if you ever lay a paw on her again, I will _end_ you." And Dean didn't know why he was making those threats. It wasn't because he didn't mean them – he did – the thought of this piece of shit going after her made him see fucking _red_. It's just that he had no time left to follow through on his promise. Not for the first time he wished he hadn't met Leah so close to his expiration date. A week holed up in a two dollar hacienda on a Mexican beach with a bottle of tequila and Leah in a sarong sounded like the best damn vacation in the world. Too bad it would never happen…

"I'd like to see you try." Uley said menacingly.

"Don't push me asshole." Dean narrowed his eyes at him. "Now get the fuck out of my way. We have a blood trail to finish."

"I can help you out with that." Uley smiled and Dean ducked as dude's fist went flying for his face. Dean shot forward, catching the jerk in the stomach with his shoulder. Uley gave a satisfying _oomph_, before Dean found a sharp and painful elbow jabbed into his back. He was knocked to the ground and the asshole was on top of him, punching every part of him he could reach.

Dean had to give it to the prick... he was fast and he was swinging a fucking sledgehammer for a fist. Dean's ears were ringing and the edges of his vision were black and the only gratification he could find was that he was giving as good as he was getting. Uley was bigger and had the weight advantage, but there was something that he didn't have, and that was John Winchester's stubborn-assed, never-say-die attitude. It didn't matter how many times you hit a Winchester, they just kept fucking coming.

There was a lot of growling and yelling going on. Dean couldn't see through the fists of fury, but it sounded like Sammy was yelling at the wolves to stay back, and Leah was right there snarling at the pair of them as they rolled through the dirt, landing punches on each other. Dean managed to land a sweet right hook to douchebag's jaw, snapping his head back and allowing Dean a second to land a shot in his stomach before scampering to his feet. Uley jumped back on his feet as well, squaring off and circling each other looking for an opening. Dean spat out a wad of blood, ready for the next round when Uley stiffened and started to shake.

"No fair wolfing out man." Dean challenged him. If he wolfed out, he wouldn't think twice about drawing his piece. There was no way he was gonna get into a fist fight with a fucking anti-magnet-_whatever_.

But then all the other wolves stiffened, the hair on their hackles standing up as they all stared off into the trees to the west. They stood in a unified line, all their differences forgotten for now as the threat became known to the Winchester who had instinctually gravitated to each other's sides.

Two of them.

Two vampires were in the trees and coming right for them and fast. Sam grabbed his crossbow from his back and quickly loaded a quarrel into the bow and took aim. The composite shaft zipped through the trees and struck the larger of the two vamps square in the chest. Sam used to complain about their dad making him take archery instead of allowing him to play soccer, but Sam could take out Robin Hood, and today that was a better skill than bending it like Beckham.

The big vamp fell to his knees, skidding through the loam and undergrowth as he let out a terrible, pain-filled keening noise. The other vamp, shocked at his companion's sudden anguish, skidded to a stop and turned around and started running back the way he came. The wolves, who had been crouching on the trail readying for the impact of the incoming fuglies, suddenly took flight after the runaway leech. Uley started running too, making it several yards before he leapt into the air and phased back into the giant black wolf – shredded shorts raining down – and running after his pack mates and their quarry. The wolves ran past the downed vamp with hardly a second glance. They seemed to remember from the night before that the Winchester Magic Arrow heads took the bastards down and kept them down and that the poisoned one screaming on the ground wasn't going anywhere.

Leah was in the lead, and fuck was she fast! The five giant wolves streaked after the escaping bloodsucker, darting through the trees as the hunter's ran for the one that was screaming and trying to pull the arrow shaft out of his chest. Both brothers landed on the giant vamp, pinning him to the ground and Dean pulled a knife from his waist and held it to the fucker's throat.

"Don't you fucking move ugly." Dean growled.

"What did you do to me?" The vamp got out around his gasping moans.

"Nothing compared to what our buddies are doing to your friend." Sam hissed as the sounds of a fierce fight echoed its way towards them from further in the forest. The sound of it sent a jolt down Dean's spine, as there was a series of terrible screams followed by an abrupt stop.

"Sounds like the party's over." Dean grinned down on the vampire.

"Dylan?" The vamp questioned, face scrunched and pained and angry.

"Dead." Sam replied flatly.

"Where's Victoria!" Dean demanded, pushing his knife against the bloodsucker's Adam's apple to keep his attention when his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Don't… Don't know Victoria." He gasped.

"Yeah fuckin' right." Dean growled. "Then why are you here?"

"Riley sent us." He hissed through the pain. "…Said to spy on the Yellow-Eyes that want to take our territory."

"The Cullens?" Sam nudged him in the shoulder with his foot when his eyes rolled again.

"I don't know!" He said as forcefully as he could. "Just said the Yellow-Eyes. Gave us… the scent of their human pet… to find them… but told not to touch her." His head jerked to the side as he must have smelled the wolves coming back. He actually hissed at them, despite him not able to fight off a Chihuahua puppy at the moment, let alone a Quileute. The wolves returned the greeting with spine shivering growls.

"Tell us where Victoria is!" Dean yelled in the vamp's face.

"I don't know Victoria!" And Dean jumped off as the vamp let out a blood curdling scream when the crazy bastard wolf clamped down on his arm and tore into it, shaking his head back and forth violently like a dog with a rope bone. The leech tried to fight back, actually bringing a fist around and clubbing the wolf weakly on the head and having absolutely no effect. There was a sickening ripping and grinding sound as the crazy wolf actually bit through the entire arm and tore it off completely. He spit the arm out to the side and Sam jumped back 'cuz it looked like he actually spit it at him. But if this was the same wolf Sam fought last night and kicked into the rocks – well that guy had an axe to grind with Sammy and it was probably part of his intimidation process.

_Fat chance asshole_. Dean thought as Sam kicked the stray arm into the bushes and glared at the wolf.

Turning back to the leech, "How many of you are there?" Sam yelled into the vampire's face.

"I don't know!"

"How many!" Sam leaned on the protruding arrow shaft, earning another scream from the vampire.

"Twenty? Twenty-five? I don't know!"

_Twenty-five? Fuck_.

"What were your orders!" And Sam was getting a little on the scary side as his face twisted and darkened.

"Find the Yellow-Eyes! Watch them."

"Did you know about the wolves?" Dean demanded.

"No! We weren't told about them." He grunted out, holding his still attached hand to his stump of an arm. There was no real purpose to doing that, it wasn't as if he could bleed out and he was in more pain from the dead-man's blood than the missing arm. But Dean supposed it was just a human trait that he'd carried into his new state.

"Who turned you?"

"I don't know."

"How long have you been this way?"

"Six months? Seven? I don't know!"

"What are your plans for the Cullens?"

"Fuck you!"

And then there were wolves clamping down on every part of him and he was screaming as their teeth dug into him.

"What are your plans for the Cullens!" Sam repeated.

"Fuck you!" He screamed, howling in pain as the wolves started shaking their heads back and forth. "I'll tell you nothing!" He hissed, venom and fury and acid coating every word.

"Then you're of no use to us." Sam said calmly.

Uley let go of where he was biting down on a leg, stood on the vamp's chest, knocking against the quarrel still lodged there, and bit down on the bloodsucker's face. Uley's entire body was shaking back and forth as he ripped into the vamp, screams and growls filling the air as Sam and Dean stood back out of the way of the wolves. It was actually pretty frightening to watch the wolves tear into him like that. There were too many thoughts jumping to the forefront of Dean's mind involving Hellhounds and laughing demons.

The screams stopped abruptly when Uley managed to rip the jaw right off the guy. They were just muted garbles and wet choking noises as the pack continued ripping the guy apart and Alpha-douche went for his throat. There were no more noises from the vamp when Uley's teeth cut through the spinal cord and the leech was dead.

Then the wolves started running all over the place, bringing pieces of vampire back in their teeth and making a pile of parts in the woods off from the trail. Apparently the Quileute's knew the drill about burning the body because other wolves were dragging dead branches in from the surrounding woods.

Dean had to admit they were a well trained unit. They worked together no matter what their differences were with each other. All the drama and anger from earlier had no hold over them when they had a job to do. The wolves were an efficient and deadly enemy to have, and Dean didn't want to be on the receiving end of a full out wolf attack. Although, watching them rip apart that vampire had unsettled something deep within him, and echoes of howls and dark, dog-like shapes were skating on his periphery. Images of what his near future held for him if they didn't find a way to find and kill Lilith before he was the Hellhounds' new chew toy.

But Dean didn't have the luxury of falling apart here. There was Sam to consider and there was no way he was gonna let Sammy see him break. And there was no way he was gonna quake like a child in front of the wolfpack because they triggered images he'd rather not entertain. So the hunters didn't waste any time in helping in the grisly task of gathering scattered appendages, and then lighting the match. Soon, there was a raging fire going on and thick purple smoke wafting up in the darkening sky. Dean hoped that there wasn't anyone around to come investigate. The last thing he wanted was to meet up with Chief Charlie Swan again.

* * *

The hunter's and their wolf escort made it back to the clearing after the sun had already gone down – just the two wolves, the other's had stayed behind to guard the pyre and keep an eye out for any more leeches. Alpha-douche seemed to give Dean a look that said '_we can pick this up later_,' which suited Dean just fine because his jaw and ribs were fucking killing him.

They had stopped to patch up Sam's arm a couple hundred yards into the woods, and for him to put on his scent amulet. The wolves shook their heads when they asked if they could smell the blood on Dean anymore, but as Sam still had oozing cuts, he was in the greater danger of attack from the Cullens.

They needn't have worried really. The only vampires in the clearing were Carlisle and Esme.

"What happened? We saw the smoke." Carlisle stepped forward towards them as they approached. Dean instinctually backed up a step but Sam actually took a step closer to the lead vampire.

"We were attacked by two vampires." Sam said.

"Oh my dear! Are you okay?" Esme stepped forward to touch his arm but pulled back last second like she did earlier.

Sam actually patter her arm – _patted her freaking arm!_ and said "We're fine Esme. The wolves were there and the vampires were taken care of."

Carlisle winced at the thought of the violence that had happened on the mountain trail. "Victoria was sending spies to watch us?"

"That's the thing." Sam frowned. "He said he didn't know a Victoria. He was given orders by some Riley guy."

"But he also said that Riley gave them Bella's scent to help track you down." Dean cut in. That part was really bugging him.

Carlisle crossed his arms and pinched his chin in thought. "There was a strange vampire that was in Bella's house a few weeks ago."

Dean and Sam both gave him a wide-eyed stare.

"No one was harmed," the Doc waved them down. "He was in the house though, and had stolen a blouse of Bella's. That must be what they had to give these ones tonight her scent."

"But who are these guys, and why don't they know Victoria? Or do they not work for her?" Sam questioned.

"I think that they _are_ Victoria's creation…" the Doc said thoughtfully. "I think she is keeping herself from the Newborns so that she can hide from Alice's visions."

"How would she know how to hide from Alice?" Sam asked, a touch of irritation in his voice at the talk of the pixie vamp.

"When we first met Victoria last year, she was travelling with two males. One was her mate."

"The one Edward killed." Sam stated.

"Yes. The other was more friendly towards us. He tried to warn us about James and Victoria, and then left them. He went to see our friends in Denali, who live like us and this vampire – Laurent – he wanted to learn more about our lifestyle. He must have learned a lot about our family from the Denali's, but he was still speaking with Victoria and must have passed on information to her."

"Where's this Laurent now?" Dean questioned.

Carlisle nodded towards Embry and Leah, "They killed him in the Spring." Embry gave them all a wolfy grin before giving them a smart-assed bow.

_What do ya want? A round of applause?_ Dean thought snidely.

"So how does Victoria get around Alice's visions?" Sam asked, ready to squirrel away information like he always did.

"For obvious reasons, Alice can't keep an eye out for everything. She can focus in on specific threats, and the decisions of certain people. If Victoria is hiding her decisions – say… passing information onto this Riley, for him to give the orders, then Alice doesn't know to watch for him. And having never met him, she couldn't watch for him anyway."

"Alice can only watch for people she knows?" Sam said interestedly. Dean had to admit, it was nice to know that Alice wouldn't try to start seeing Caleb or Bobby or any of their other friends.

"They are easiest for her. It is very rare for her to have visions of people she doesn't know."

"But it does happen though." Sam stated.

"Yes. It is how she found Jasper… and us. And she had a vision of Victoria and James coming here. There have been a few more instances, but in seventy years, she's only had several of these types of visions."

Dean shuddered and not entirely from the cold. Although, it was freaking freezing out here now. He tried to bury himself deeper into his coat, but it wasn't as warm as his leather jacket, and he shivered again. The loss of movement was gonna kill him and he wondered how much longer he had to stay here making chit-chat with the vampies before they could leave for the car and to find a motel. He wanted a shower and a bed in the worst way. He glanced briefly at Leah, speculating on the likeliness of needing two motel rooms for the night. He figured his odds were pretty good.

"Hey Sammy? Can we get this show on the road? It's freezing out here." He glanced off towards the mountains, but it was too dark to see if the freak storm Alice had predicted had hit the peak yet.

"Yes, of course." Esme agreed. "You must find it cold out here and should get some rest." She looked shyly at Sam before adding, "We would be most honored if you came with us, but we completely understand if you don't want to."

"Thanks Esme…" Dean started, about to top it off with an, _but I don't freakin' think so_, when Sam interrupted him.

"That would be very generous of you Esme. Thank you."

_What?! No fucking way!_

"We'll meet you there." Sam smiled at her, ignoring the low snarls coming from Leah and Embry.

"Sam, can I talk to you?" Dean growled.

"Something bothering you, Dean?" Sam raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah. Sleep-overs at vampire nests don't actually sound like the best plan to me." And the wolves were growling their similar opinion.

"Well that's okay. You go into town and I'll go with the Cullens." Sam shrugged at him as if daring him to slug him, which Dean really wanted to do right now. _Bad_.

"Sam." Dean growled, not in the mood for this stubborn, hug-all-the-monsters bullshit of Sammy's right now.

"It's okay Dean. I'll catch a ride to the fight with the Cullens in the morning and we'll meet you here. I really want to keep talking to Carlisle and Esme… Besides, I promised Carlisle earlier that I'd tell him about Demi-Gods." And the pair of vampires seemed to swell with pride at Sam's tolerance of them.

"I can't believe you're fucking doing this to me." Dean snarled. Because of course he wasn't about to let his baby brother wander into blood-sucker central without him. He had to watch his kid brother's back, even if said kid brother was being the biggest moron on the planet right now.

Dean glared at the Cullens, and uttered a low threat. "If anyone comes near me, I've still got dead-man's blood on all my knives."

"You have our word on your guaranteed safety in our home." Carlisle nodded.

Dean gave a mutinous glare at Sam's self-satisfied smirk.

_You and I are gonna have a talk_.

A/N: Merry Christmas to you all, and if you don't celebrate the holiday, then take care and be safe and see you in the New Year.


	21. Nightmares

Disclaimer: If any of them were mine, I'd be on a deserted island with Dean and Cas. _Mmmm... yummy angel eye candy_…

20. Nightmares

Dean was leaning against the counter of the blood-sucker's kitchen. He was holding a plate of food in his hand as he glared at the back of Sam's head where he sat at the dining room table next to Esme and across from Carlisle. If he wasn't so pissed, he would appreciate the good food Esme had prepared for them – if Esme weren't a blood-sucking vampire to boot. How the hell had he been rail-roaded into coming here? Oh, that's right… _Sam_. His baby brother knew all the tricks into getting whatever he wanted out of him, including threatening to come to the vampire mansion _by himself_. So of course Dean had to come here too. There hadn't been a choice in the matter.

And now Leah and Embry were on the deck on the other side of the glass southern wall, peering into the living room with pissed off wolf faces. Esme had invited them in, telling them that they could stay in their wolf state if that made them more comfortable, to which Leah had snarled a series of profanities at her. Dean wasn't sure what she was saying of course, but she sounded like a sailor on shore leave to him. So the wolf guards were outside, on the other side of a plate glass wall, and giving Sam a mutinous look through the window for forcing them to be there. Sam had told them they didn't have to come to the Cullen's, that they would be perfectly safe, but Embry had a look in his eyes that said clearly that he wanted to tear Sam a new one for doing this to them.

They couldn't even give the wolves a ride to the Cullen's because Leah wouldn't phase. He didn't understand why not until Embry gestured to his back leg where a pair of shorts was tied to it, and Dean looked at Leah's leg and there was nothing there. _Cuz… oh yeah, her clothes got shredded when she'd wolfed out going after Alpha-Douche earlier_.

And that thought made him angry too, because he and Leah had been interrupted earlier and there was no chance of picking things up as long as they were in the Creep-tastic mansion. _Fucking Sam_!

So they had driven to the Munster house, and waited at the bottom of the driveway for the wolves to run out of the trees and trot alongside the car up the driveway. And Dean felt guilty that Leah felt she had to be here to watch out for them. That she was gonna go deep behind enemy lines to watch his ass in case fucking Jasper or whoever else tried to take a bite out of it. Because when a Quileute made a deal, they stuck by it. And they had been ordered to go where the idiot hunters went.

So while Sam was having a delightful conversation with the parents of this fucked up family, he was leaning against the kitchen counter where no one could come up behind him and he could see everyone else. Alice and Emmett were playing Call of Duty on the Xbox, and Jasper and Rosalie were at Bella's house guarding Charlie. Dean would give the Cullens one thing, they weren't leaving Charlie's safety out of the question in this whole mess. They seemed pretty dedicated to keeping as many people safe from the fallout as possible.

The '_talk_' during the hike from the clearing to the car, and the drive from the woods to the Cullen's had been catastrophic – a full out shouting match for nearly an hour between the two brothers. Dean did not like how chummy Sam was getting with the vampires, and he wasn't afraid to tell his kid brother so. There had been yelling and shouting and pushing and spit flying and Dean had almost hauled off and punched the kid but backed off when Sammy's face hardened, bracing for the impact. Disgusted with himself as much as the situation, Dean had threatened to just drive them to a motel and be done with it, until Sam had threatened that he would just call Carlisle to come pick him up, saying this as he pulled the small piece of paper out of his pocket that the vamps had given him before they went off on the scent trail.

_Little fucker_.

So Dean glared a hole into the back of Sam's head as he told the Cullens about Lenore's family, and how they'd come across them. He told them about Demi-Gods and shape-shifters, and nearly every other hunt they'd ever been on, from bugs to Wendigos and everything in between.

And the part that was getting to him the most was how _comfortable_ Sam was with them. Almost as if he were sitting at Bobby's table instead of the vampire's.

_Little fucker_.

* * *

Sam wished that Dean would stop trying to burn a hole in the back of his head. He could feel his brother back there, leaning aggressively against the counter and just watching everything. Scowling and grinding his teeth and being utterly _Dean_. So Sam did his best to ignore him, devouring the dinner Esme had made for them. She'd gone grocery shopping just for them, to make them the lunch she'd packed them and things for if they agreed to come back after the blood-trail. She was just so thrilled and _happy_ that they came – invited the wolves in and everything, even though her very nature dictated that they were primal enemies. And Sam also pushed aside his feelings of unease. The vampires still made him wary. Not so much the Doc and Esme, but the others did – and Sam was all too aware of Emmett and Alice '_casually_' playing a video game in the next room. The mistrust was thick between them, and only an idiot could miss that.

Sam told Carlisle everything he knew about Demi-Gods, Lenore, shape-shifters and everything else they'd ever encountered. Carlisle and his wife asked intricate questions, genuinely interested in the varying topics. He had hoped that once the conversation got going, Dean would eventually join in, whether with a snarky statement or an all out insult – it didn't matter as long as he spoke with them. But for once in his life, big brother was completely silent – other than the teeth grinding.

_Come on Dean, they're not so bad. Just give them a fucking chance_. He silently pleaded with his brother.

Sam had been shocked at the way the wolves had torn apart the vampire earlier. He hadn't really considered how the wolves would fight a vampire before, and the show he'd gotten earlier had rocked him to the core. The violence and utter destruction they had reaped upon the vampire was trying to claw its way through his brain now. _The tearing and the gouging and the ripping limb-from-limb…_ And he hadn't missed all the blood draining from his brother's face at the sight.

So perhaps Sam's plan of convincing Dean to go vamp wasn't the best course of action, but it was all they had right now. He tried to reason with himself on why it was still the best idea they had to work with. The wolf-pack knew how to fight vampires, probably took a lot of deaths in their history to learn how to take them out. The hellhounds would never have had an encounter with a vampire – why would they? They wouldn't know that they had to go for the throat. All the corpses they'd found ravaged by hellhounds had their vitals shredded – that was how a hellhound killed its victim. Shredding at a vampire's vitals would do squat. And hopefully the increased strength and speed of a vampire would keep it from getting that bad in the first place. Hell... maybe a vampire could even see a hellhound as they were technically dead anyway. And they were hunters, they knew how to keep the beasts at bay – goofer dust, salt, Devil's Shoestring… They could hold out until Lilith came for them herself and they would kill her.

_Somehow_.

"So what's the deal with the Volturi anyway?" Sam asked the doc.

Carlisle seemed to withdraw a bit at the question. If he could get any paler, he undoubtedly would. "What do you mean?"

"Come on Doc, we know they're on their way here." Sam chided him.

"Well, Alice saw them deciding to come here. We can only guess that it's because of the mess in Seattle. The most important rule we have – the only rule, really – is to keep the secret. Victoria's newborns are drawing the attention of the humans, and since we've been successfully hiding for centuries, they do not want the attention."

"But you're afraid of them personally though." Sam rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward in an effort to put them at ease. The Cullens seemed to respond better to those who seemed to accept them for what they are. No doubt that was why they were willing to risk their lives for Bella.

Carlisle raised an eyebrow at him. "How...?"

"We bugged your office." Sam shrugged, not bothering to look apologetic. What was the point? They had already poisoned them and nearly killed their son – why bother feeling guilty about a little eavesdropping?

"So that's how you... Very clever of you boys. Very clever."

"So what's the deal?" He asked, noticing with his peripheral vision that Dean was paying a bit more attention now.

"The Volturi know about Bella and Edward." The doc started. "They decreed that Bella is a liability to our kind in her human state. They gave Edward an ultimatum, to change her or kill her."

Sam took in a sharp breath. He figured it was bad, but that was beyond fucked up. "So Bella is okay with that?" Sam's eyebrow shot up into his hair.

"She wanted to be changed before the whole mess came about. Edward wouldn't hear of it. He doesn't want this life for her, and he thinks that if he can stay a step ahead of the Volturi, then he won't be forced to turn her. With them coming here, they will stop in to check up on her and there's no way around that."

"But you haven't changed her though."

"The Volturi are reasonable most of the time. We are certain that they will accept the timeline we give them. It would be easier for Bella to disappear after she finished high school and left for college. It would draw less attention to all of us – which is the ultimate goal for the Volturi."

"So you turn her," Dean cut in angrily, "...she fakes a car accident or something and then what? Her and Eddie ride off into the sunset or something? What about her family, huh? What about Charlie? Has anyone stopped to give a crap about him?"

Carlisle turned sympathetic eyes on Dean. "Of course we have. This is not an easy life and it is why Edward is fighting so hard against all of this. He hopes that if he prolongs it long enough, Bella will change her mind – that she'll want to stay human."

"And what do you want?" Dean sneered.

"We want our family to be safe and happy." Esme said simply. "If that means Bella being human or vampire, then so be it."

"Why do the Volturi even care anyway? She can't be the only human that knows about you guys." Sam cut in before Dean could lash out at Esme – Sam had to admit that he was honestly becoming a little attached to the kind woman.

"When Bella went to Volterra in the spring to stop Edward from making a terrible mistake..." Carlisle started.

"The whole suicide/cliff diving thing?" He cut in.

"Yes, that… Anyway, when she went to Volterra, she came into contact with Aro – one of the leaders. He took a particular interest in her as she was immune to his powers, just like she is immune to Edward's. She was also immune to Jane, who is one of their primary assets. To tell you how remarkable that is... I just can't put it into words." Carlisle shook his head in disbelief. "Aro wants nothing more than to add to his own power by bringing in the most talented of our kind. He is curious what would become of Bella if she were turned, and if he could have use of her. He also covets Alice dearly. He had not met her before then, and had no knowledge of her existence as I haven't been back to Volterra in centuries. You can imagine what he would do if he had the power of prophecy at his disposal."

"So they're checking in with you to make sure that Bella's heart doesn't beat anymore, and to try and do a little recruiting?" Dean snapped.

"In so many words... Yes."

"So why don't you guys just gank the Guard that's coming here, and take off where they can't find you?" Dean gave the doc a look that plainly said they were idiots for not thinking of that themselves.

"Because..." Alice came skipping into the room, "...they're the Guard."

Dean jumped a little at her sudden nearness. "And what the hell does that have to do with anything? Shoot them full of Dead-man's blood, rip their freaking heads off and you're in the clear."

Alice put her hands on her hips and glared icicles at him. "Do you know what happens when a criminal kills a police officer, Brainiac?" She didn't wait for an answer as she charged forward. "You suddenly have ten cops and they're all gunning for your ass. That's what will happen if the Guard are killed while they are here. And there's no way to hide or outrun these guys because they are immortal and can spend the rest of eternity looking for you."

"The world's a big place, what do you mean you can't hide?" Sam asked.

"Demetri." She shrugged. "He's the best tracker in the world. He can hone in on your brainwaves from anywhere in the world. The only one that he probably couldn't find would be Bella as she seems to keep everyone out of her head, but that just means that Demetri could just focus on Edward to find her."

"So kill this Demetri douche and make a run for it." Dean snapped.

"Hello?" Alice scowled and waved at him. "Have you been paying attention? _Immortal?_ The rest of our _immortal_ lives spent on the run and constantly looking over our shoulder."

"Isn't that worth keeping Bella human?"

"Not when she wants to be one of us. The only one opposed to this is Edward."

"Why is Edward fighting so hard anyway? Shouldn't he want her to be like you guys?"

Sam found it a little amusing to see Dean and Alice nearly toe to toe arguing with each other. Like Dean was arguing with an extremely annoying, tiny person instead of an extremely annoying, tiny vampire.

"He's worried about her soul." Carlisle cut in, getting up from the table and wrapping an arm around Alice's small shoulders and putting some space much needed space between her and the older hunter.

Sam started at that. "What about her soul?" His heart started hammering in his chest and he was sure the Cullens could hear it.

_What does her soul have to do with anything?_

"Edward is convinced that we are soulless monsters." Carlisle turned sad eyes on them. "I can't convince him otherwise, and he is terrified for Bella's immortal soul."

_They don't have a soul?_ Sam's mind was reeling. _They __**have**__ to have their soul_.

"But you think that you have a soul… right Doc?" Sam tried to keep the tremor out of his voice. If they lost their souls when they turned, then Dean's would still be hell bound while his body lived out eternity as a vampire. The thought of that made his stomach churn and a cold sweat broke out on his skin… and Esme was looking at him now and there was concern in her beautiful features and Sam fought to regain his rampaging heartbeat.

"Of course we do." Alice scrunched her face at him in disgust. "We couldn't live as we do and be soulless. Edward just doesn't believe it."

"Maybe 'cuz your douchebag brother is actually right about something." Dean shot back.

"You are a complete asshole. Do you know that about yourself?" She glared at him.

"I take pride in knowing that about myself, Sweetheart."

"Well hurray for you." Alice rolled her eyes. The pixie let out a huff. Turning towards Carlisle, Alice said, "I'm going to go to Charlie's and take Rosalie's spot on guard."

"Ice Bitch is coming home?" Dean muttered. "Joy."

"That's my woman you're talking about!" Emmett's voice came booming from the living room where he hadn't left his game.

"Sorry." Dean called back. "Ice Queen sound better?"

"Try Ice Princess. It suits her more."

And if Sam were a little less pre-occupied with the whole vampires-don't-know-if-they-have-souls thing, he might have noticed the corners of Dean's mouth turning up slightly at Emmett's joke.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alice took off pretty quick after that. Dean, disgusted and annoyed by the whole situation, said, "Hey Sammy. You ready to get out of here and find a motel?"

"You're more than welcome to stay here. We have plenty of room." Esme offered.

"Thanks Esme, but..."

"That sounds great Esme. Thank you." Sam interrupted him and Dean felt his blood pressure rise.

_Little fucker_. He cursed. He could in no uncertain terms, leave Sam here alone – and the last thing he wanted was to have a sleep over at the Cullen's house. This was officially the worst night of his life.

Okay, not the worst – Sam dying had been the worst. And Dad dying. And Mom...

"I need some air." Dean muttered darkly as he turned for the glass door that led to the deck.

"You sure you don't want to challenge the Call of Duty master to a game, Chump?" Emmett called over the back of the sofa, waving a controller at him.

Dean shook his head. "That's okay. I'll kick your ass later." And he wasn't talking about some stupid video game.

_Fucking vampires_.

Dean strode out through the glass door out to the deck. Embry was sitting there in the cold night air but there was no sign of Leah and there were none of the wispy Leah tendrils floating in his stomach so he instinctively knew she wasn't around. "Where's Leah, Dude?" He asked the giant wolf. He just nodded off towards the trees, and Dean sat down on the edge of the deck next to him. "So she didn't feel like hanging around Leech-Central either did she?" Dean mused, looking off into the trees and wondering how far away she was and what she was doing. "Can't say I blame her." He muttered. "I'm sorry that Sam forced our hands on this… er, paws… whatever. I didn't want to come here either, but I couldn't let him come here alone. And I'm sorry that that means you're stuck here too."

Dean huffed and watched as his breath clouded in front of him. How could it be so cold here? It was freaking summer! He didn't even want to imagine what it was like on the mountain for Jake, Bella and Edward. He grinned evilly to himself, hoping that Jake was keeping Bella warm.

Again, he idly wondered about the connection he felt for the wolf pack. Not Alpha-Douche of course – Dickhead had a target on his hairy ass. But the others? Yeah… he felt some sort of connection there that he couldn't explain to himself. Perhaps it was the way they fought – like it was their duty. They'd even called themselves 'The Protectors', so maybe that had something to do with it. They protected their people and the people of Forks and most of them had no idea of the danger they were being spared because of the wolves. Washington was the fucking Vampire Superhighway apparently.

And he pushed away the terror as the image of the wolves tearing into the vampire earlier cropped up and started running circles in his mind. He swallowed back the dinner he'd had as it threatened to rise. He could feel his heart rate kick up a notch and Embry's shaggy head turned to look at him questioningly as he could undoubtedly hear it from where he was next to him.

Dean abruptly got up. "I gotta get something outta the car." He said as an excuse and headed off towards the Impala.

He rummaged around in the trunk, grabbing a bottle of mouthwash and swirling the burning liquid around in his mouth before spitting the contents into Esme's rose bushes. At least it got the foul taste out of his mouth from nearly puking like a little kid at the amusement park.

He pulled the machetes and the quivers of arrows out of the trunk, along with all the knives, the whet stone, and the bottle of left over Dead Man's blood. If they were stuck here because of his idiot brother, he might as well tend to the arsenal. Hunter's Handbook rule number one – make sure your piece is in perfect fucking working order. And the Winchester arsenal was always perfectly maintained. So he took the weapons back to the deck and sat next to Embry while he sharpened and dipped _everything_. Those fuckers weren't gonna know what hit them.

He couldn't go back in. Just the sight of Sammy at the table still talking to Carlisle and Esme, and later playing a video game against Emmett – it was too much for him to take. His little brother was being friendly with vampires. Exactly when did the world tip on its axis?

Ice Princess eventually came home. She just glared daggers at him as she passed on her way into the house. The daggers were for both him and Embry no doubt, not to mention the arsenal that surrounded them. She gave a disgruntled look to Emmett at his greeting of 'Hey Babe,' when she walked into the house, and that look was most likely directed at Sam who was sitting in an armchair with the controller in his hand and giving Emmett a run for his money.

"It's fucking freezing out here man." Dean groused as he blew into his hands to warm them up some. "I guess that fur coat has some uses, huh?" Embry just gave him a sad and bored look before he looked back in the giant plate glass window at Sam so close to the leeches. If was funny that Dean was getting so used to the wolves that he could tell that Embry was frowning at his brother. "Don't ask me where he gets it." Dean shook his head. "I'd have been quite happy to blow them all to pieces." He muttered. "Of course, if we had just blown in here and killed them all, we probably wouldn't have met you guys. I guess that's worth the aggravation of meeting Alice." Dean so rarely said anything of emotional consequence that he took himself by surprise by his statement. Embry just rolled his eyes at him. "Leah coming back anytime soon?" He asked, because she was the one he really meant in his last statement. The wolf shrugged his massive shoulders.

_Damn_.

He leaned his head against the railing post next to him. He was cold and he was tired and he wanted a hot shower and a warm bed. And he wasn't going to get any of that because there was no way he was going back inside that house unless one of the vamps attacked Sam. So it looked like he was going to be spending the night on the freezing deck before he had to go fight off the Newborn invasion in the morning. Just. Fucking. Peachy.

He must have drifted off to sleep for a minute because he was suddenly jerking his head up off his chest. Embry nudged him in the arm with his giant head and nodded off towards the Impala. "Gotta watch out for Sammy." He mumbled sleepily. The wolf rolled his eyes at him, nudged him pretty hard in the shoulder with his giant head and nodded towards the car again. "You'll keep an eye out?" Embry turned his body around so that he was lying on the deck with his face an inch away from the glass. "You yell for me if anything happens. Okay?" Embry nodded and Dean pried his frozen ass off the decking and gathered up all the weapons and headed back to the car.

* * *

He was strapped down on a frozen metal table and there were demons surrounding him. All of them were gloating and laughing, wielding knives honed from shards of ice as they hacked and carved at him. Singing sick renditions of Christmas carols as they flayed the skin from his naked body, relishing in the screams coming from his mouth. He'd always been told that Hell was lakes of fire and brimstone. He was in hell – he was certain of that because no matter how much pain the demons were inflicting on him, he miraculously healed moments later so the torture could go on and on and on. But there was no fire, no brimstone. Just ice and a deep cold so raw it burned his skin.

So he fought against his restraints, strained against them futilely, screaming with the pain he couldn't keep in any longer. Hadn't been able to keep up the macho facade long in the first place as the first demon to hack into him ripped out his kidney and bit into it, licking its rotting lips as the blood ran rivulets down its chin and he squeezed the organ between festering fingers over Dean's face so his own blood splashed on his face and ran into his wide open and screaming mouth. And after that all the demons were ripping him open and fighting for organs, his intestines were strewn all over the frozen floor and the demons were feeding off him like in all the fucking zombie movies he'd ever seen. And all he could do was scream out his agony and pray for a death that would never come because the frozen wasteland he was in was a special spot in Hell and there would be no death to save him from the eternity of torture that was his due for selling his soul.

The demons backed off for a minute again so his body would regenerate, a bare minute of respite before the never ending torture would resume and all the break did was give him a moment to pray to God or whoever might be listening to just kill him now. End the pain and finish him off and let him fucking die already because the pain was too much to bear.

The lead demon – the one that had fed off his kidney – smiled at him, advancing slowly and raising his ice dagger high above his head. Dean knew where the dagger was going to land even before it pierced him in the center of the chest, cartilage and bone shattering, lungs rupturing and his mouth filling with blood as he started to drown in his own fluids, and still he screamed. Blood bubbling up past his lips and running down his cheeks and pooling on the frozen table slab. And he couldn't breathe anymore, suffocating and drowning to a chorus of laughing demons and howling hellhounds that were dancing back and forth in his periphery.

_Please God... if you're out there just kill me now_.

The lead demon was advancing on him again, when he froze, shock and horror written on his ugly face as he suddenly turned and ran, and all the other demons ran off too as an angel came swooping in on a blast of cold air, brandishing a flaming sword that had the demons running for their worthless lives. And Dean had never been one to believe in angels but he did now because there she was, white dress and sweeping white wings and she was hacking and hewing at the demons too stupid or too slow to run when they had the chance as she burned her way through them, standing as an indestructible wall between him and the demons. She was glowing and ethereal and Dean had to close his eyes to keep them from burning out of his head because there was no way he was worthy of looking at the celestial creature with his lowly mortal eyes.

The angel swung her sword and shattered the shackles that were holding him to the table. He instinctively flung his arms over his face to avoid looking at her, hiding behind arms that would never protect him from her if she wanted to smite him back to the Stone Age for daring to look upon her. Strong, hot hands grabbed his wrists, but he kept his eyes shut tight, turning his face away.

"Dean," she said forcefully, "...look at me."

He shook his head no, eyes squeezed tight.

"Dean." She demanded. "You're safe. Open your eyes." He wouldn't though, and she let go of his wrists and placed her hot hands on the sides of his face, forcing his head to turn towards her and all her grace and all her power. "Open your eyes Dean."

And the tone in her voice would not be disobeyed so he cracked an eye open, ready to shut them again quick if they burst into flame. The frozen hell was gone, so was the table he'd been strapped to and all the blood that had been splattered across the floor and he was in the Impala and the angel that had taken Leah's form was crouched on top of him in the front seat, holding his face and concern and worry marring her beautiful features – an ethereal glow still surrounding her head even though she was in human form and her wings were safely furled and hidden from his view.

"It's over." She whispered, and Dean wrapped his arms tightly around her, buried his face in her neck to breathe her in and got ready for whoever was out there to smite the ever loving fuck out of him for daring to latch onto the angel that had come to save him.

* * *

She'd been pissed about having to come to the blood-sucker mansion. It wasn't Dean's fault – it was purely his brother's idea. For whatever god forsaken reason, the younger hunter seemed to be taking a shine to the vamps. Embry had gone on watch duty so that she could go off to vent a little steam. Quil was running wolf and offered to bring her some stuff from her house if she'd meet him at the border of the Cullen land. He was totally coming through for her on the cousin front today.

So he brought her a change of clothes and some food in a paper bag that he carried in his teeth. Told her that her mom was worried about them and wanted to know what was going on. He wouldn't tell her of course – there were some things that the Elder's Council just didn't need to know about. So Leah had taken the bag back to Leech Manor so that Embry could have a bite to eat as well.

Sam wasn't running tonight. Last heard, he'd gone home to Emily, and _good riddance asshole_ was the only thing running through her mind on that one. She'd been pissed about him and Jared and Paul sneaking up on them earlier by walking as human and staying downwind until the last moment when Jared and Paul phased back and Sam had sauntered out of the woods looking for a fight. And she knew without question that as the two idiots rolled around in the dirt fighting, that if she jumped in, Sam would phase and then Dean would likely be forced to kill him because Sam was being a bigger idiot than usual. As much as she hated the dick, she didn't want him dead even though he was severely pissing her off. The asshat was stepping way outside his boundaries. So she'd been stuck on the sidelines, growling her heart out to no avail. There was a smug touch of pride though at the fact that Dean had been holding his own against her Alpha. He was human… and he had held his own.

_What a wolf he'd make_. She thought wistfully.

Before long she was back at the Cullen's back deck. Embry was lying on the deck watching the younger hunter sleeping on the sofa. How on earth he could walk in there and fall asleep on their sofa – she didn't know. She deposited the paper bag on the deck next to Embry's nose, and he smiled as the smell of her mom's famous blueberry-banana muffins wafted out to him.

She knew that Dean was sleeping in the car, so she hunkered down on the deck next to Embry as he nudged her clothes to the side and scarfed down the food she'd brought him. It wasn't much, but it was better than stuff that reeked of leeches. It was a good thing that the humans didn't have senses as finely tuned as hers, otherwise they'd have been gagging on the meal mommy-vamp made them. She frowned at the human sleeping on the sofa. Because of him, she was stuck out here when she could think of better places to be spending the night…

_Lee? Do you mind? I'm eating here_. Embry rolled his eyes.

_Sorry. It's been awhile_.

_And I thought Jared was bad_.

_Man, this sucks_. She groused. _I really don't want to be here_.

_You think I do?_

_Hey, he's your human. Mine wanted to lock him up in a motel room_.

_Yeah, just when I thought the little fucker was a good guy, he pulls a stunt like this one_.

_What's his deal anyway? He's all, 'let's be friends with the vampires' now_.

_Hell if I know_.

She was silent a moment before asking, _Do you wanna take turns on watch?_ She offered. _I'll go first, I'm still a little wired_.

_You're the best Lee. Don't let anyone tell ya different_. Embry yawned and laid his head on his forepaws.

_You say that now, tomorrow you'll be calling me a bitch behind my back again_.

_Okay, so I'll call you a bitch to your face then_. He smirked.

_Jerk_.

_Bitch_.

Embry was asleep pretty quickly. Going all out all last night and all day on little sleep was rough. At least they had their wolf stamina to keep them sharp. The humans were coasting on fumes alone and it was no wonder they'd crashed.

Not a single vampire entered the living room where Sam slept. Leah guessed they were staying out of there on purpose because of him. If she didn't hate them so much she probably would have thought that was really considerate of them. As it was, she was currently parking her ass on their frozen deck and grumbling to herself about the weather. At least she had it better than Seth. It was a real storm up there and he'd been complaining about what was going on in the tent with Edward, Bella and Jake.

Leah didn't even want to _picture_ that kind of threesome.

An hour passed, putting it near one in the morning by her reckoning when she heard it. A sharp cry coming from the Impala that was quickly swallowed up by the growing winds. She perked up her ears and she heard it again. It was definitely Dean, and she tore over to the car to rip apart whatever bloodsucker got to him right underneath her nose.

There was no one there. She peered into the window and she could see and hear Dean in the car. He was thrashing around but it was really strange the way he was doing it – like his hands were tied to something cuz it looked like he was pulling against restraints. His chest arched out and his legs were kicking and the fucking screaming was sending shivers dancing down her spine because what on earth would make this man cry out like that?

She got up on her hind legs and braced her forepaws against the driver's window, smacking her paw against the glass to wake him up. That didn't work so she howled and smacked the glass again.

Embry startled awake. _What is it? Are we under attack?_

_Watch Sam_. Leah commanded, beating the glass again.

_This is not fucking working_. She growled, pushing herself away from the car and darting back to the deck to get her clothes.

_Don't you fucking look_. She snarled to Embry as she phased right there on the vampire's back lawn and pulled her clothes on. They were the same ones she'd been wearing the night before, but her mom had washed them while she'd been gone all day.

Running barefoot over the gravel drive and back to the car, Dean was still thrashing and screaming as she wrenched open the passenger door. He kicked out at her as a blast of cold air shot into the car, not that it mattered because it was freaking freezing in there. But she dove into the front seat regardless because there was something definitely wrong here. She grabbed at his wrists, yelling at him to open his eyes – to look at her. He covered his face with his arms like he was bracing for a punch and the sight of that made the food she ate earlier want to make a repeat performance. She grabbed his wrists again, and reached for his face, shocked at how cold his skin was – and forced his face to turn towards her.

"Open your eyes Dean." She demanded.

Blearily and cautiously, he cracked an eye open. It was drastically out of focus, and roving around wildly. He was looking at her funny – like he could see her, but that he didn't really recognize her, and that scared the crap out of her too.

"It's over." She said to be reassuring, because she didn't like the way Dean was looking at her, like he was expecting her to hurt him. But then, he wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against him.

Leah was freaking out. Not only was Dean holding onto her like she was the last lifeboat on the Titanic, but she could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he pressed her into him like he was trying to absorb her into his body by osmosis. His face was buried in her neck, and she could feel his breath coming hard and fast against her skin and he was so fucking _cold_. She pressed her cheek against the top of his head, cradling him almost as he shook and tried to regain himself. The cold night air was still blowing into the car so she stretched out a foot to hook the door handle and snapped it closed.

He wasn't awake, she knew that. Knew that whatever night terror he'd been suffering from still had him in its grip and she was scared for him. This was a guy that walked up to vampires and Quileutes and took a swing at them without batting an eye – so she didn't want to know what he'd been dreaming about that caused him to scream like he was being tortured. And the screaming and the thrashing was on constant replay in her mind as she held him and he held onto her like it was a matter of life and death. Eventually, his heart rate slowed enough so that she stopped wondering if he was about to keel over from a heart attack because of it. So she just continued to stroke his head and whisper reassuring words in his ear – that he was okay, that he was safe now, and she prayed that she was warming him up some because the poor excuse of a blanket that smelled like it hadn't been out of the trunk of the car and in a washing machine in its life was not doing its job of keeping him warm. So she wiggled underneath the blanket, reassuring him again when he whimpered – _fucking whimpered_ – at the brief loss of contact, and snuggled up to him. The cold was radiating out from him and made _her_ shiver. How was he not suffering from Hypothermia? He was fucking freezing all over.

And she tried not to think about Lilith the Demon Queen that he had mentioned on the way back from breakfast, or whatever big bad thing she was planning that the boys had to stop her from doing. And she tried not to think about the venom in Sam's voice earlier when they were coming back down the mountain, about how he had to start doing all these crazy-ass things for himself because Dean wasn't gonna be there forever. She didn't know what all this meant, but it left a ball of black wretchedness in her chest that was gnawing at her every time she let her mind wander.

She tried to focus on Dean so that her mind wouldn't wander only it wasn't working because he was mumbling unintelligibly about Lilith and demons and Hell and God-knows what else because it was all garbled and she didn't understand any of it.

A/N: Earlier in the chapter, when Dean semi-woke up from the dream and Leah/Angel was there and he could still see her glowing? That was the car's dome light behind her head. Haha.

Happy New Year to you all, I hope you breached 2010 in one piece ;D


	22. Disagreements

Disclaimer: Not much left to go now…

21. Disagreements

Sam could feel someone shaking his shoulder and telling him to wake up. He cracked open an eye and bolted off the sofa he'd been sleeping on, brandishing the knife that had been stashed under the pillow, ready to attack.

Esme jumped back, eyes wide and clamping her hand to her mouth as she bit back a scream. Her face was one of shock, surprise and fear. Sam felt a wave of disgust wash over himself as he relaxed his tense stance and tossed the knife on the blanket he'd been using last night.

"Esme, I'm sorry." He apologized, shame welling up and burning sourly in his stomach. "I forgot where I was and saw vampire… and… I'm really sorry."

She took her hand from her mouth and eyed the knife sadly. "It was under your pillow. I thought you were beginning to trust us."

"No, no, no, no, no, Esme." Sam stepped forward and rested a hand on her arm to reassure her that that was not how he felt. "My brother and I have always slept with knives under our pillows – ever since we were kids. It's habit."

"Most children sleep with teddy bears."

Sam huffed darkly. "To tell you the truth, I never had one. We didn't get those kinds of luxuries when we were kids."

"You poor dear." Her face softened and she patted his arm. "I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for you."

"I always wondered why we couldn't live a normal life like everyone else." Sam sat back down on the sofa heavily. Talking about his upbringing always touched a sore spot in him and now was no different. But he gave a heavy sigh as he scrubbed a hand over his face. "It took a demon killing my girlfriend right in front of me that made me realize that what me and by brother do is important."

Esme sat down next to him and placed a cold hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry about your girlfriend Sam." She said softly and he could tell she meant it. "I think you're very brave to do what you do. You were going to risk your lives to save a girl you don't even know."

"And poisoned your family while we were at it." He muttered bitterly.

"You came to a place where you expected danger, and stayed, even though your instincts tell you not to." She eyed the knife again.

"My instincts aren't telling me to be wary of you Esme." He insisted. "You're good people. Better than a lot of humans I've known." And hell if that wasn't the God's honest truth.

She seemed a little embarrassed by his words, looking away and running a hand through her hair. "Thank you Sam. You have no idea how much that means to me." She really was too nice for words. She looked off towards the southern glass wall. "I hope your brother is alright."

"Did he stay outside all night long?" Sam asked, frowning.

_Stubborn asshole_.

"He went to sleep in the car I think." She bit her lower lip in worry, a gesture so human that for a moment Sam forgot she wasn't one. "The poor thing must be freezing. Should I make him some coffee?"

"He'd like that. Thank you Esme." Sam felt the ball of shame in his stomach give him a nudge. "Esme, you have been nothing but kind to us – even though we don't deserve it."

"You're going to fight for my family. There isn't anything that I wouldn't offer you that was in my power to give." She gave a soft chuckle of laughter. "Coffee is a small price to pay."

Something that was gnawing at him since last night would not leave him alone, so he looked sidelong at her and said, "Can I ask you something Esme?"

"Of course Sweetheart – what is it?" And Sam was again hit by how motherly she seemed, even though physically she wasn't much older than him. He idly wondered how long she'd been a vampire.

"Last night, when we were talking about souls – you didn't give your opinion on the matter." He looked her full in the face. "Do you think you lost your soul?" The thought of this lovely and kind woman not having a soul was heart wrenching to him.

"I think I got my soul back when I was turned." She whispered softly.

"What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath, seeming to put her thoughts in order. "When I was human… my husband was a monster. He was a drunk, he was mean and he was abusive. He caused two miscarriages before I was able to come to full term. He was a beautiful baby boy and I thought that things would get better now that we had a son to raise. I couldn't have been more wrong. Only a week after the birth, we were at home and he was drunk again. The baby was crying and my husband was so angry at his crying that he grabbed him out of my arms and started shaking him to make him stop. My baby was only a week old and he died in my arms. I tried to tell the authorities what happened, but they did nothing. The police and my husband were old friends and it was a 'Good 'ole Boys' club and they would do nothing. Said that I was hysterical and lashing out because Norman would never harm a child – even though they'd all seen the bruises he used to give me. I couldn't bear to go home and look at the beast that had killed my child, and there were so few options for women in those days. I threw myself off a cliff that very evening."

Her terrible story was running circles in his head because the thought of that ogre of a man laying his hands on her made the edges of his vision turn black. Her words finally started catching up to his brain. And abusive husband, dead child…

"You committed suicide?" He whispered.

"I tried. They thought I was dead and took me straight to the morgue. Carlisle was there and realized that I wasn't gone yet and he snuck me out of there and turned me."

"And you got your soul back?"

"I believe so. I have everything in death that I didn't have in life. I have a loving and wonderful husband, I have a family that I would do anything for, and I have happiness. The cravings and the self-denial are a small price to pay for all I've been granted. But I do believe that if I were to die again, I will have much to answer for."

"What do you mean?"

"I killed a man once." She whispered. Sam had difficulty believing that the kindly woman next to him was capable of murder. "It was my former husband. I went there to confront him about killing our son. I wasn't there for revenge, I just wanted him to know that I knew what he did, that I'd always know, and that someday he'd have to face judgment for his crimes."

"What happened?"

She started twisting her fingers around themselves as she spoke. "He was afraid of me and tried to attack me. I wasn't used to my new strength yet and I fought back. I hit him and sent him sprawling to the floor. But he hit his head on the counter and started to bleed and I lost control."

Sam didn't know why she felt such guilt and remorse at killing that bastard of a man. He deserved far worse in his mind for the things he'd done. And it wasn't as if Sam had never gone searching for vengeance. Images of Jake's dead body in front of the Devil's Gate in Wyoming were burned into his retinas. He'd been stupid, turned his back on the guy and got knifed in the back. He died in his brothers arms and look what his stupidity got him – Dean selling his fucking soul to get him back. His brother was always the most self-sacrificing person he'd ever known, and when Sam had woken up on the dirty, filthy mattress in a rundown shack – perfectly healed – he knew that Dean had done something. He just didn't know how drastic Dean had become facing a life without his baby brother.

And the person who might have the answer to Dean's salvation was sitting right next to him. He wrapped a giant hand over her ice cold one and squeezed. "It's not your fault Esme."

She squeezed back and Sam could feel the strength in her fingers. "You sound like Carlisle." She took a sad breath. "I will someday have much to pay for – but the shame and guilt of killing that beast of a man and drinking his blood is enough to ensure I will never harm another human again."

"Was it hard for you to learn to live as Carlisle does?" He needed to know how to survive the transformation and not feed on humans.

"It was very difficult. The cravings are all you can think about, and I sometimes have trouble reigning them in. I just have to remember the disgust I felt for myself from feeding off my former husband. It always works."

"You're not the only one that will have much to answer for someday, Esme. I've killed people too." The way Jake's body wracked when Sam emptied a clip into him was on instant slow-motion replay in his head.

"You save people too. That has to count for something." She insisted.

"I wish Dean would just talk to you without all that prejudice in his heart. He'd see you more clearly."

"He sees us pretty clearly now." She whispered, dropping her head and glancing away.

Sam squeezed her hand in his. "You're not a monster Esme. The fact you live as you do _proves_ that."

She ran her free hand through her hair and sighed. Pulling out of his grip, she said, "I really should start that coffee for you and your brother." She stood up and walked into the kitchen. Sam had enough experience with that kind of exit that he knew not to follow her or press the subject. She needed time to herself.

Groaning, he heaved his large frame off the sofa and stretched the kinks out. Grabbing his coat off the back of the sofa, he slipped out the patio door to go out and get his brother.

Embry was curled up on the deck next to the plate glass window and he picked his head up off his paws as the door opened. He gave Sam a soft growl and Sam knew that he deserved it. The guy had slept on the deck instead of somewhere more comfortable because of him.

"Sorry man." Sam apologized, "...but I needed to talk to them last night." Embry gave him another low growl in response. Sam huffed, knowing he wasn't going to catch a break from the guy anyway so he asked, "Dean in the car?" Embry nodded his giant head and whacked Sam in the shins with his tail when he walked past him. He grunted in pain, rubbing a hand along his shin and groused at the wolf, "Thanks man. Real mature." Embry ginned at him and whacked him a second time. "Dude, don't make me pull my piece." Embry just rolled his eyes at him and jumped down from the deck and trotted into the trees. He shook his head at the retreating wolf before walking along the grass to where the car was parked.

It was still cold out, and there was a thin layer of melting frost on the windshield of the car. Sam shook his head at his brother's stubbornness of sleeping in the freezing car instead of coming inside. He could see the top of his brother's head pillowed against the lowest part of the window, and Sam knew from experience that Dean was gonna have a hell of a crick in his neck because of it. He raised a hand and gave the driver's side window a sharp series of taps. Dean jerked awake, turning a confused look towards the window, but Dean's wasn't the only head that popped up at the wake-up call. Leah's dark brown eyes appeared on the other side of the glass, lifting her head from his brother's chest, and Dean turned confused eyes on her. Sam could only guess that the look of embarrassment on his own face matched the one on Leah's so he turned on his heel and walked back to the house as fast as he could.

Dean could worry about his own coffee because apparently he hadn't had to worry about freezing to death last night

* * *

"Ahh... Leah?" Dean asked slowly, confusion and uncertainty clouding his voice. His jacket was wide open and her head had been pillowed on his chest with her arm snaked across his stomach. He didn't remember her joining him last night and he knew that he should but he couldn't remember a damn thing. "…Am I dressed?" Cuz her legs were twinned around his and he honestly couldn't tell if he was wearing pants right now.

"Yes." Embarrassment was clear and thick in her voice.

"Are you?" He asked because the blanket was up around her shoulders and he couldn't tell if she was wearing anything.

"Yes." She narrowed her eyes at him in confusion and embarrassment. She sat up, taking the incredible heat with her and grimacing when the cricks in her joints became known. Dean could see the familiar red t-shirt on her now and breathed a little easier.

"So… we didn't… you know…?" He stuttered awkwardly. He hated to ask but he wanted to know and he was drawing a huge ass blank right now. He felt like he was coming off a mother of a bender.

"No." She looked away from him, and damn didn't she look like she wanted to melt into the seat right about now.

"That's good." He sighed, reaching an arm around her shoulders to pull her back against him so he could greedily soak up the heat that was Leah. He felt as if there was a column of ice imbedded in his spine and there was a part deep within him that was freezing.

"It's good that we didn't sleep together?" She laughed nervously.

"Well, technically we did sleep together." He chuckled, liking how she seemed to relax against him at that moment. "It's just that if we did anything more than that… I'd want to remember."

"Trust me…" and Dean could hear the smirk in her voice as she spoke, "…you'd remember."

"No doubt." His body rumbled with the chuckle that passed through him. Leah sank into him and rested her head against his chest, seeming to be listening to his heart beating and memorizing the sound of it. She started tracing light patterns over his heart. It tickled slightly and he started humming the chorus to Van Morrison's 'Tupelo Honey' for some reason that he didn't quite understand but Leah didn't seem to be complaining. He rubbed his cheek against her hair and smelled her in. The Leah tendrils were very happy right now.

Dean wasn't a cuddler – he was a get-the-hell-outta-Dodge kind of guy – but since he didn't sleep with her last night anyways, it didn't really matter. And it felt nice to just hold her and enjoy the moment because they both knew what was coming later that morning – a battle of unknown certainty

"Not that I'm complaining," he started, "…But what are you doing in here? I don't remember anything."

"Aahh…" she stammered, "…you were having a nightmare."

Dean's heart stopped right there as images started to flash behind his eyes. "A nightmare?" Leah seemed to notice the shift in the atmosphere and sat up, taking the warmth with her. Dean almost reached for her to pull her back but let his hands drop, sitting up painfully himself.

"More like a night terror." She amended.

"Did I say anything?" He asked, trying to sound vaguely uninterested instead of on the verge of panic.

_Please let me have kept my fucking mouth shut… Please let me have kept my fucking mouth shut…_

Leah looked away as she answered, "Not that I could make out," she lied, and god fucking bless her she didn't press him for anything else. Sammy would have been peppering him with questions that he would never answer, but Leah was giving him a free pass. And it struck him then how much Leah got him. Like, really _got_ him.

She was fidgeting in her seat slightly, knee pulled up to her chest and the nightmare was coming to him fast and furious now. Of the laughing demons, the frozen hell, of the torture and the hellhounds and the daggers made of ice. And he remembered something coming to save him but he couldn't place what it was. All he remembered of the creature was the brilliant light that was pouring off it that blinded him.

He pushed the fear and the panic down because he knew Leah could sense it. Striving for control, Dean grabbed a discarded receipt off the floor and a pen out of the sun visor. He jotted down a number on the piece of paper and pressed it into her hand.

"What's this?" She asked, frowning at the number.

"Leah… I want you to promise me something."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "If you're gonna ask me not to fight today you sonofabitch - forget it." She snarled.

He laughed softly at that. It wasn't as if he hadn't considered that, but he wasn't dumb enough to voice his concern to her. Embry was right about her temper and he liked having his boys attached.

"No… It's not that," he shook his head. Taking a deep breath he plowed on because there was no turning back now. "Leah, if things get bad up there, I want you to run."

"You want me to what?!" She demanded – rage and anger clear in her voice.

Dean grabbed her hand and fisted it over the scrap of paper in her palm. "I want you to run." He repeated. "You're the fastest and they won't catch you. I want you to get out of there and call that number and tell my buddy Caleb what happened. He'll get the rest of the Brotherhood up here fast and they'll go after Victoria and her Newborns and take them down before they go on a killing spree and drain off the entire Pacific Northwest." Dean drew another deep breath, feeling the anger roiling off her and making the Leah tendrils shrivel inside him. "And you'll need to tell him about the Volturi coming , to warn him about keeping an eye out for them because I think that if the Volturi know that the Brotherhood still exists, they'll go after everyone and lots of good people will die."

"You can't ask me to run away." She whispered angrily.

"Think of your mom, Leah." He pressed even when she ripped her hand out of his grasp.

"Don't," she hissed, looking like she wanted to haul off and slug him one. Her dark eyes went black and her fists were balled and shaking on her lap.

"Think of her and all the people in Forks and La Push who are gonna suffer if we can't stop these sonsofbitches today.

She gave him one last hard glare before she shoved the door open and launched herself out of the car. Vibrating with anger, she slammed the door so violently that the heavy car rocked. He watched as she stalked angrily into the trees before he looked down and saw that his own hands were shaking.

At least she still had the piece of paper in her hands when she left.

* * *

The only sound was the throaty growl of the Impala tearing up the dirt road, and the swishing of the wiper blades as they fought the heavy mist that was falling. Neither brother wanted to speak first, content to stew in their own anger. Naturally, Sam broke first.

"You don't have to be so mean to the Cullens you know." Speaking of how Dean had less than politely declined the coffee that Esme had made for him. In his own defense, it was only a minute after Leah had stormed off and he was still a little rattled about the demon dream.

"What part of vampire do you not understand Sammy?"

"Well then what about the wolves, huh?" Sam fought back.

"The wolves don't eat people Sam." Dean said through clenched teeth.

"Neither do the Cullens!"

"They're sharks in a kiddie pool Sam."

"They're trying to make the most of their predicament." Sam defended them.

"Okay, I'll grant that they aren't actively hunting people, but I don't trust them an inch and neither should you."

"Some of the wolves have tried to attack us _twice_since we made the treaty with them. The Cullens haven't done squat."

"That's only because Leah's ex has a problem with me." He waved a hand dismissively. "Besides, you saw how they all worked together when the vampires showed up yesterday." He hid the shudder that started to build when he remembered the way the wolves tore into the vampire. "They won't allow anything to come between them and their fucking job."

"I think you're being blinded by how you feel about Leah."

"What are you talking about?" Dean didn't think it was possible for him to be getting angrier.

"You like her." Sam accused him.

"Of course I like her." He said derisively. "Have you seen her? She's smoking."

"I mean more than that." Sam crossed his arms defiantly across his chest.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He muttered mutinously.

"Of course you don't." Sam looked angrily out the side window and Dean was pissed because Sam was seeing way more than he was supposed to.

"Well what about the way you're all best friends with Carlisle and Esme now, huh? Pretty damn chummy if you ask me."

"They're nice people."

"You know who else were nice people?" Dean didn't wait for a response as he shot forward. "The Pagan-God couple we ganked back at Christmas. Do you remember them Sam?" He sneered. "They were real nice… up until they tried to sacrifice us!"

"This is different and you know it."

"I don't think it is Sam. And I think you're unwilling to see it."

"I think you're the one that's unwilling to see it, so can we drop this until later please?" Sam growled, clearly as pissed as he was. "We have an army to take care of you know."

"Fine. But do not think for one second that you and I are spending the day at the Cullens' drinking Mai-tai's when this shit is over."

"Fine." Sam crossed his arms and looked angrily out the widow the way he'd done since they were kids. The guy was pissed and time was running out and Dean felt like shit because doubt and fear were gnawing at him.

After a few minutes, Dean said what had been bothering him since they started this insane plan to fight with the vampires. "Sammy, if shit gets bad up there, I want you to run."

"What?!" Sam rounded on him angrily.

"I want you to run for it and call in the cavalry. We'll need the others here to take out the Newborns before they kill of the entire Pacific Northwest."

"No." Sam's jaw went tight and his eyes went black as his brow furrowed in anger.

"Look Sammy. If I die up there? Fine. I'm on borrowed time as it is. But I will not go to hell knowing that you're already dead." Because Dean wouldn't think twice about dying to save him – that was for damn sure.

"I won't do it Dean," came Sam's pained whisper. "You can't ask me to run away and fucking leave you there."

"You'll do it because you have to." Dean grunted. "And because I _asked_ you to."

* * *

They were standing in a loose group in the clearing. Dean, Sam, Esme, Carlisle, Embry and Leah. The rest of the wolves and vampires were scattered around the edge of the clearing to head off any retreat made by the incoming army. Sam had giving his scent amulet to Alice before leaving the house so that she could scout out the mountain pass without being sniffed out by the Newborns. They were hoping that up there and away from the interference of Sam and the wolves, she'd be able to get a clearer vision of what was coming their way and when.

Dean could feel Leah just behind him. Could feel her with every cell in his body if he was gonna be completely honest with himself. They wouldn't ride to the fight with them, and ran to the dirt road and met them at the head of the deer-trail they'd been using to hike up to the clearing. He turned to glance at her and he caught her dark brown eyes looking back at him. Leah seemed to be doing everything in her power to avoid him, so the eye contact was an unexpected bonus. He gave her a wink and a cocky smirk, earning one in return. He let the smirk die on his face and mouthed the word '_run_'. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before giving him a shallow nod.

_That's my girl_.

At least she would try to get out. He could only hope that she and Sam would get out while they could so that they could warn the other hunters. It wasn't as if he couldn't tell Caleb about all this himself – but the conversation with his friend this morning hadn't gone over well, as Caleb called him a fucking moron for fighting with the vampires and the wolves, and for not waiting for him and the others to come and back them up. So Dean had opted to not tell him about the Volturi, or the wolf attacks, or how Sammy was BFF's with the Cullens now. Caleb's blood pressure couldn't handle that shit.

Dean hefted his crossbow in his arms, his machete hung at his waist and he had several knives stashed everywhere on his body. Everything was sharp, everything was coated in dead-man's blood, and everyone in and around the clearing was vibrating with apprehension.

The wind picked up and the wolves started pawing restlessly at the ground, growling softly and looking off towards the mountains.

Doc's phone must have rang because he had it pressed to his ear. He gave a grunt of acknowledgement before pressing a button on the cell, saying, "We're ready," and flipping the phone shut.

"The first one was Alice." He said to them. "She said that they're coming and they're coming in fast. The vision cut out before she saw Victoria though. The second was Edward. The Newborns caught Jacob's scent and are chasing him now. He's leading them straight for us."

_That explains why the vision cut out_.

The pack mind meld thing must have been running on high gear because Leah and Embry were practically drooling for the fight headed their way – the fight their friend was leading right for them.

"How long do we have Doc?" Sam asked.

"A minute? Two?" He offered.

Dean pulled a clean knife from his boot. He folded back the sleeve of his jacket on the arm that he didn't slice to pieces on the scent-trail yesterday. Holding the knife to his skin, he glanced up at Esme. "I wanna bring those fuckers right to us." He stated. "Are you gonna be okay if I do this?"

She turned away from him and glared at the far end of the clearing. "Do it." She hissed.

Dean raked the blade across his skin, carefully keeping an eye on Esme as he did it. Her shoulders were tense and her posture was rigid, but apparently, vampires could ignore the scent of human blood if they had something colossal enough on their mind. It wasn't a deep cut, just enough to spill a little blood and bring those blood sucking fucks straight at them because he wanted them full of blood lust and acting stupid. He didn't want them to realize they had run into a trap.

He placed the blade back into his boot, hefted the crossbow to his eye and willed the adrenaline running a marathon in his veins to keep his aim true.

"They're coming." The Doc whispered.

A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting this. I switch back and forth between my PC and my laptop when writing, and use a flash drive to stash my work. As I was giving the chapter a final review so that I could post it, my laptop got possessed by a vengeful spirit and went haywire on me. When I got it back running, the open file (this one) was toast and I had to re-write it from scratch! I mean, it was nothing but those little box-like characters in place of all the letters and punctuation. I can't tell you how much that sucked, and I was up till the wee hours of the night typing because there were parts of the chapter that were still fresh in my mind from just reading the chapter over. I know I lost a lot of good lines and descriptions that I had, and I hope that this new offering isn't sub-par to your expectations of me. I hope to make it up to you next week with the big fight scene ;D

And if you're unfamiliar with Van Morrison's 'Tupelo Honey' you can youtube it or listen to it on Jango. It's lovely and it suited that brief mood in the Impala beautifully.


	23. The Newborns

Disclaimer: *_Squee_* It will be back on air next week!!

22. The Newborns

"They're coming." Doc whispered.

Both hunters had their crossbows to their shoulders, eyes trained down the sights and fingers having a half pound of pressure on the trigger. The second a red-eyed vamp came through the trees, there was gonna be a hail of arrows raining down on them. The wind was picking up a bit, and they would have to try and compensate for that with their aim.

_Of course things would get that bit more difficult_, Dean thought acerbically, cursing the breeze. He kept scanning the tree line, waiting to see the vamps running out and hopefully catching the scent of his blood on the air.

_Come to Daddy, Bitches,_ he thought as Jake came bounding into the clearing and tore straight for them. The Newborns were right behind the giant russet wolf and he and Sam let loose.

The Newborns were faster than he thought they'd be, and the wind was not helping them as some of the much needed shots went wide and missed their marks, thudding uselessly into the soil. Several Newborns went skidding into the dirt, screaming in pain as arrow shafts buried themselves into them, while others charged the mismatched group of opposition at the center of the clearing.

Jake skidded into place next to Embry and Leah, looking like he was smiling his ass off at the fight that was bearing down on them. The Newborns were closing in fast, and Dean couldn't get another shot loaded before a fugly was on him. He brought the handle of the crossbow around and clubbed the vamp in the face with it. Taking the arrow he'd been trying to load, he stabbed the vamp's shoulder with it, letting the screams from the poison turn into screams from Leah's teeth as she sank her jaws around its neck, weighing it down and dragging it to the dirt where she tore into it with abandon.

Dean could see the rest of the wolves and the Cullens charging into the clearing, fencing in the Newborns who just now realized that they were surrounded. The wolves worked in pairs, attacking and fighting with a fury that was only matched by the Cullen children. Jasper fought alone until Alice came running into the fight from where she'd been scouting from further up the mountain. Running and leaping far more than should have been possible for someone her size, she leapt onto the back of the male vampire that was fighting with Jasper. Giving an ear piercing shriek of rage, she wrapped tiny arms around his neck and pulled while biting into the neck of the vamp, using her teeth to help her rip its fucking head off while Jasper held the Newborn's arms in place.

The Newborns didn't know how to fight in pairs, which is what Jasper had been teaching them all. And the Newborn's strength, speed and superior numbers didn't mean squat against an opponent that was smarter and better trained. They just came straight at you, with no thought or reason behind the blood lust in their veins. They really were little more than blood-thirsty animals – instinct driven and predictable.

He and Sam hacked and stabbed with their machetes and knives. Eventually, the dead-man's blood on the machete wore off and it wasn't having the same effect as it had on the first couple of vamps. It was just a regular blade now and every swing had to count because there was no poison on it anymore. And they were getting bombarded with Newborns all hungry for the human blood at the center of the clearing. The only thing was, was that the human targets were standing alongside wolves and vamps – and the human bait knew how to fight.

It quickly became apparent that Esme wasn't a fighter. Carlisle seemed to be holding his own but Esme was gonna get the pair of them killed because Doc wasn't good enough to fight for both of them. It didn't take long for Sam to start covering the mommy-vamp, fighting with Carlisle and letting Jake and Embry cover their rear. Seeing Sam in the dangerous predicament made Dean lash out at the incoming vamps with a ferocity known only by older brothers defending their family. Leah was a perfect shadow to him, letting her own fighting skills take over as the pair of them fought for their lives. Leah wasn't as big as the other wolves, but she was fast, she was cunning and she was unequivocally brutal.

Dean swung the machete around, slicing the blade across the face of a ducking female. Her scream of anger was quickly doubled as Dean kicked a boot into her gut, knocking her to the ground where he fell on her, pulling a knife from his waist and sinking it into her neck, putting all his weight behind it as it cut into her spinal cord. He saw Leah sail over him as she lunged at a male that was gonna take advantage of Dean's distraction with killing the female. Leah wasn't even touching the ground as she was burying her claws into its flesh, tearing at its face with her jaws. The vamp brought a heavy hand around and smashed Leah in the side. She let out a howl and the vamp twisted, grabbing her and trying to throw her off him. Dean used the moment to pull a throwing knife from his waist and sailed it at the vamp. The knife embedded itself in its back, causing him to let go of his grip on Leah as it fell to its knees in agony from the poison coating the blade. Leah finished him off gleefully.

There was no time to watch what was going on around the clearing. He could only hope that the others were fighting just as hard as they were. They were in the middle of the cluster-fuck, and the others were guarding the perimeter, drawing the net tighter and forcing the Newborns in closer to the center, cutting off any escape attempts.

As the circle got smaller, Dean was able to get glimpses of what was going on while he swung and hacked his way to the edge of the ring and freedom. Rosalie and Emmett were a vicious team, cutting a wide swath through the Newborns, and many of the discarded limbs littering the ground seemed to be from them ripping the Newborns' arms off, whereby the wolves fighting next to them finished off the enemy. Alice and Jasper were more cunning, using Alice's small size to lure them in while Jasper's decades of fighting experience made short work of them. And Dean could make out Sam Uley in the fight. The giant black wolf was a terror on the battlefield. He seemed to have a penchant for ripping the jaws off the vamps. As a vampire primarily fought with their hands and teeth, there were a lot of Newborns running around the circle without either, looking for a way out and being blocked everywhere by a wolf or a Cullen.

_Go figure… Teamwork at its best_.

* * *

"Where's Victoria Doc?" Sam called over the roar of the fight. He swung a fist at an on-coming, one-armed male, and quickly whirled around to slash another male across the chest with his machete. Sam had tossed a poisoned knife to Esme to help her defend herself as she couldn't fight for shit and was making his job of keeping her safe all that much harder. There was no way that Sam wanted to look at Esme's lifeless body at the end of this, and had taken to fighting alongside Carlisle in order to protect her better. Luckily, Embry and Jake were behind them and keeping the vamps from getting the jump on them from behind.

"I don't see her!" He called back, lunging at the same male that Sam had just punched, grabbing the one-armed male around the chest and sinking his teeth into his throat, ripping a huge chunk of flesh away and spitting it to the ground. The male swung at Carlisle, hitting him in the side and Esme screamed, bringing Sam's knife down, two-fisted into the back of the male's neck. She wrenched it out as he fell to the ground dead.

"Carlisle!" She cried out.

"I'm good Sweetheart… Look out!" He tried to warn her as another male lunged for her from the side. Jake and Embry both thudded into him mid-air, knocking him to the side and ripping into him with savage snarls.

"Where the fuck is the bitch?" Sam cursed, keeping a well trained eye on his brother several yards away. They'd become separated early in the fight, but both were doing well. Dean and Leah seemed to have a good rhythm going with Dean hacking away and Leah pouncing when they fell.

"You can't miss her," Carlisle shouted, "…flaming red hair."

Sam scanned the clearing, grateful that Jasper and Emmett weren't attacking him because those two were fucking crazy-ass scary – but he could see no sign of a red-headed woman. "I don't see her either!" Sam called, ramming a shoulder into the back of a female that kicked out at Embry. She went sprawling headfirst into the dirt where Jake jumped her and buried his teeth into her neck.

"She must be hiding and watching the fight. Keep your eyes peeled!"

"Em!" Sam called to his wolf. "Victoria isn't here. Watch for someone in the trees making a break for it." Embry nodded, and raked a heavy paw over the chest of the female that had kicked him while Jake tore furiously into her neck.

As he continued to fight, he amazed himself on being able to think about how much it sucked fighting large numbers of vampires. Unless you killed them immediately, they just kept fucking coming.

_Fucking living-dead assholes_.

* * *

Leah was fighting frantically. Dean seemed to be fighting with an abandon that wasn't normal – like he didn't care if he made it out or not, and was therefore taking too many risks. But she had to give it to him – he was fighting like a fucking Greek hero. She'd seen that 300 movie when it came out, drooled over Gerard Butler's bod, and scoffed at the odds the Greeks faced cuz that kind of battle wasn't possible. Three hundred Spartans against an army? _No way_. Of course, that was before she went wolf, before she knew anything about the supernatural, and before she met the Winchesters. If half of those three-hundred Spartans fought like Dean Winchester, then she could totally understand how they could withstand tens of thousands of enemy sonsofbitches. Watching him was like watching a perfectly choreographed fight scene in a movie. Swing, thrust, kick, punch, do it all over again. The Newborns couldn't touch him, and the ones that came close got a face full of her teeth for their trouble.

The pack mind was a tornado of voices and emotions and she tried to block them out the best she could. Most were ecstatic with the fight, and the chance to rip into the monsters they'd been born to kill. The guys were joking back and forth and comparing moves like they were sparring in someone's backyard instead of in the middle of a life or death battle. Some were in some serious pain as the Newborns had a hell of a swing on them if they managed to get their hands on them. Luckily, the wolves were fast healers, and they were buddied up like the leech Jasper had taught them to be. The Newborns were too stupid and untrained to realize that they stood a better chance if they paired up as well, but they were an every-vamp-for-themselves kinda group and were being picked off one-by-one by their side. Leah took a great amount of satisfaction in the number of leeches that were running around without all their limbs and chunks of flesh missing from their necks and faces.

She launched herself into the side of a female blood-fuck that had landed a blow to her human, and she ripped into the bitch's neck for daring to lay a finger on her man. It was the first time she tied that kind of possessive title to Dean, and she'd admit that she liked the sound of it.

* * *

Dean was starting to get tired. You could only swing a machete around so much before your shoulders and arms started to burn from the adrenaline coursing through your veins. And he was really starting to feel the effects of the last two days. There were only half of the enemy vamps moving now, and there was a huge scattering of limbs on the ground. His poisoned arsenal had been used up ages ago, and he thought of how tough it was to take on so many enemy vampires. He didn't even want to think about how bad it would be without the Cullens and the wolves there to fight as well. There was a soul shivering cacophony of screams echoing around the clearing from the injured Newborns, and the ones that had been successfully poisoned by the arrows at the start of the battle were off towards the north of the clearing where they fell, crying out in agony as the poison spread throughout their system.

He wished he could be fighting next to Sam, and it killed him to realize that he and the Doc were teamed up to protect Esme. But at least Sammy had Jake and Embry watching his ass, and at least he was with Carlisle instead of one of the others. Grudgingly, Dean had to admit to himself that the Doc wasn't all bad… he just had a huge personal shortcoming of being a vampire.

He caught Sam throwing a punch at a vamp, and then the Doc grabbing onto the same one and ripping a chunk out of his neck.

_Go Doc_. Dean admired as the vamp's screaming cut across the short span of grass. He saw Esme throw herself at the vampire and buried a knife in his neck.

Dean grinned evilly as he whirled around and stabbed at a male that was charging at him. The sound of a winning battle was music to his ears.

* * *

"Doc!" Sam yelled, charging at a female that had leapt on Carlisle's back and was trying to bury her teeth in his neck. He wrapped an arm around her neck and yanked, toppling her and Carlisle down to the ground. Sam dropped on her and plunged his bowie knife into her throat. She choked and spluttered before her red-eyes went blank and lifeless.

"Thanks." Carlisle grunted as he stood and helped pull Sam to his feet. "NO!!" He bellowed, as both men realized that Esme was unprotected, and was being crushed by a male newborn that had her in a bear hug. Esme was struggling, and smashing the back of her head into the male's face, but he was squeezing and she was screaming and Sam and Carlisle rushed him. The vicious snarl that escaped the Doc's lips as he fell on the male that was hurting his wife was blood-curdling. Both men kicked and punched at the beast, Sam swung his knife at his back but didn't have a shot at his throat with the way they were dancing around and Esme was still trapped in his grip and screaming for her life as he tried to crush her. Sam kicked him as hard as he could in the side of the knee. The sound of bone shattering could barely be heard over the sound of the battle, but it was music to his ears. The male bellowed in rage and pain as he dropped Esme and swung for him. Sam danced back and the vamp toppled over on a leg that couldn't support him. Carlisle grabbed Esme's hand and yanked her out of the way before the male was on the ground and Embry came out of nowhere and wrapped his massive jaws around the vampire's face. Embry was shaking back and forth brutally, and the screams of the vampire were soon cut off as he went slack on the ground.

* * *

_And I'm telling you man_, Jake gloated, _I held her all night long and that asshole Edward just had to sit there and watch_.

_Ha ha. Stupid Douche_. Quil laughed as he and Jared were striking at a small male from opposite sides. Stupid Newborn couldn't decide if he should flat out attack one side or another and instead kept trying to lash out at both of them.

They were having too much fun with him when Sam shouted at them, _Stop toying with him and finish him off. There are still more to take care of_. So Jared dove for his knees while Quil went for his throat, and they knocked him off his feet with the unbalanced attack and the two tore into him with snapping jaws and joy in their hearts at the love for the fight.

Jake lunged at a leech that had come up behind the taller hunter and shook his head back and forth violently when he latched on around the leech's jugular.

_I even got her to kiss me!_ He crowed.

_Go Jake!_ Embry laughed, lunging at the vampire that had tried to make jam out of the Doc's wife. _Bet that one hurt ole Eddie's pride_.

_Fucking believe it_.

_What was that bit about her saying she was gonna marry him?_ Paul snickered at him while he and Sam danced around a female.

_Man, don't believe that shit_. Jake shot back derisively. _How can she marry him when she feels like that for me? She'll dump his frozen ass as soon as this mess is over._

_Jake,_ Seth whined, _Edward is right here and listening to everything_.

_How's it feel to sit on the sidelines asshole?_ Jake taunted the mind-reader while dodging a swing from a female leech. _Damn Bells looks pretty in the morning with her hair all a mess._

The guys were laughing but Seth yelled at him. _Stop it man. It sucks sitting up here while you guys are getting all the glory down there._

_You're where you need to be Seth_. Leah snapped. _You're too young and this is no place for you_.

_Says you_. Seth shot back childishly. They all got a mental image of baby Seth in diapers and crossing pudgy arms over his chest and sticking his tongue out – courtesy of Leah.

_Guys!_ Sam yelled at them. _Do your fucking jobs!_

_Screw you Leah_! Seth shouted. _I'm not a baby!_

_Sound like one right now_. She teased as she lunged for a leech that her human just nearly sliced open. _He's got a hell of a follow-through don't he?_ She admired her human charge.

_Leah and De-ean, sittin' in a Chevy..._ Embry sing-songed.

_Kiss my ass Call!_ Leah snarled.

_Guys! That's enough!_ Sam growled, taking his anger out on the blood-sucker he and Paul were fighting. Sam seemed to be making a conscious effort not to think of the hunter and how much he wanted to bite him in two – it was only because Sam grudgingly admitted to himself that the brothers were impressive fighters – for humans – and were making themselves useful today.

_Lookin' kinda cozy and they're pettin' kinda heavy..._ Embry was still singing as he ripped at the arm of a vamp that tried to come up behind his human.

_Thanks a lot Embry_. Seth groused. _I really needed __**that**__ image_.

_Just be thankful you weren't there kid. _Embry rolled his eyes_. Hello Animal Planet – meet the Discovery Channel._

_That's enough you jerk!_ Leah yelled at him. _Keep it up and it's your ass I'm coming for next!_

_I'm so scared_. Embry mocked her.

_Just when I thought you were acting like a real person, you start acting like an asshole again_.

_I was always an asshole Lee_.

_Can't argue with you there_.

_Bitch_.

_Jerk._

_Enough!_ Sam commanded. _One more word and I'm sending both of you home_.

_Awww, come on Sam. We're just having fun. This is just how Lee and I bond. _Embry wheedled, shaking his head back and forth violently as he was still trying to rip the hand off the same leech_. Damn bitch is tough ain't she? _He muttered.

_Stop talkin' and start tearin'_ Leah griped as she was crouched in front of a vamp that was looking at the drying blood on Dean's arm and licking its dead lips. _Don't even think about it ugly_. She cursed at the leech.

_Man, I wish I were down there_. Seth whined. _I can almost smell the vampire stink from here_. He said wistfully.

_That's just Edward_, Jake snickered.

_Haha_. Seth mock-laughed. _Wait a sec!_ Seth took another deep set of sniffs. _That's not Edward! Hey Edward! We got company!_

* * *

They had most of the Seattle vamps down now. He and Leah had made it to the edge of the circle, and he was now fighting next to Sam like how things were meant to be. Esme was safe behind the ring of fighters – hurt but safe – as all the enemy were now trapped inside the net and were falling like flies now.

"Victoria wasn't with them!" Sam shouted at him as he stabbed at an armless male that tried to rush them.

"What do you mean she ain't here?!" He cursed.

"She didn't show. Doc thinks that she's hiding in the woods and watching for the outcome."

"Then the bitch ran off already. Her fan club is nearly dead." Dean swung his machete mercilessly at the throat of the armless male and he fell to the ground where he would never rise from again. Sam kicked the body back into the circle a bit so that they could use the corpse as a breakwater of sorts.

"That's what I was thinking." Sam answered, taking a moment to take a much needed deep breath. "We'll have to get the wolves on her trail after this is done. They'll hunt that bitch all the way to Canada if they have to."

"Either way, she won't live long enough to hurt anyone else."

Dean was startled by Leah giving a painful howl. He looked, but there was no one around her that would have hurt her. The penned in vamps were trying to be smart and making a unified push on the far side of the ring. If they had done that earlier, they might have made it through, as it was, they were too few, and too torn up to do much damage, especially as they were trying to push past Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie.

_Good fucking luck_. He thought scathingly, giving the trio their due when it came to their viciousness in the fight. That Rosalie was a scary bitch when she was pissed.

But there was nothing next to Leah to cause her to howl, and now she was snarling with a new fervor that he hadn't heard before. She sounded hurt and royally pissed – almost as pissed as when she lunged at her Alpha yesterday.

_God, was that yesterday?_

So Dean had no idea what set her off, but she was furious.

* * *

_You blood-sucking asshole!_ Leah screamed as the male vamp hit Seth and launched him into the rock wall behind him. The pack mind meld allowed her to feel the pain of the impact. _I'm gonna rip your ass in two for touching my brother!_

_I'm okay Leah,_ Seth grunted, picking himself up off the ground and giving a shake. _Don't worry about me_.

_It's my job to worry. I'll be right there._ The last thing Leah wanted was to leave Dean unprotected, but he could handle himself, and he had the others here to watch his back. Seth needed her.

_Don't you dare! You have a job to do so fucking do it!_

_Seth? Did you just swear at me?_ The idea of it shocked her snark-less for a moment.

_Damn straight. I got this_. He insisted.

_You can't fight him alone_.

_I've got Edward here_.

_That doesn't make me feel better. There are two of them_. And Leah could feel the dread welling up from her toes as the red-haired bitch that started the whole thing was squaring off against Edward.

_Careful Leah, the guys will think you care._

_Of course I care you big idiot! You're my brother! Mom's gonna kill me._

_Haha. Lee's afraid of her mom. _Paul snorted.

_Of course I am you dick. Have you met my mom? Sam's scared of her for Christ's sake._

_I am not afraid of your mother, Leah_. Sam defended himself as he snarled at a vamp that was trying to push past him in a bid for freedom.

_So that wasn't you sneaking out of my bedroom window that time my mom and dad came home early from the movies in Port Angeles?_

_Not helping guys!_ Seth didn't get anything else out though, as he launched himself at the blond vampire and snapped his jaws down on his hand.

_Fuck! They taste like ass!_

Quil snickered as he took a swipe at a blood-sucker that tried to take a swing at Paul. Paul went nuts and threw himself at the leech's face.

_Seth, there's only two of you up there and two vampires. I'm on my way._

_I got this Leah! Back off!_

But the vampire up there was smarter than the ones down here in the clearing and he swung a heavy fist at Seth's head, sending him flying into the rocks again. The pack flinched as the pain hit them all, and they heard Bella screaming from where she was standing on a ledge.

_Bella!_ Jake shouted.

_She's okay Bro_. Seth gasped out, trying to pull himself to his feet and having difficulty doing it.

_That fucker is dead!_ Leah swore.

_He's already dead Leah,_ Seth shook his head, trying to clear the fog in it.

_Smartass._

_Look who I learned it from._

They all got a glimpse of Victoria turning her gaze onto the screaming human, of Edward grabbing her by the arm and sailing her towards the trees surrounding them, where she rolled across the ground several times before she smashed heavily into the trunk of a giant spruce.

_Good one Blood-sucker_. Embry whistled.

The other leech was about to lunge at Seth who was still struggling to find his feet when Edward reached out and grabbed him by the arm, planted a foot in his back and his teeth in his shoulder, and yanked with all he had. The arm came off with a satisfying yowl of pain from the vampire, and Eddie actually used the arm to club the red-headed bitch who was making another dive for him.

_Go Eddo!_ Quil laughed. _Creative bastard, ain't he?_

_Careful Atera!_ Jared warned. _You'll give the asshole a fat head._

_He's already got a fat head. I can't help it if he's entertaining me._

_Pay attention guys!_ Sam warned them.

_Sam, I need to go help Seth!_ Leah said urgently.

_Seth is doing fine on his own Leah_. Sam replied.

_Yeah Leah. See?_ And Seth dove for the other arm of the blond vampire and tugged and bit down until he was spitting a hand and wrist off to the side.

_You are gonna own that bitch, Kid!_ Embry encouraged him – proud that the youngest amongst them was getting his shot to fight after all.

_He's all yours Bro! Get him!_ Quil cheered him on, taking a snap at one of the remaining leeches in the circle.

Seth took a lunge at the vampire, and sent them careening out of the small clearing and into the brush.

* * *

_Three to go_. Dean thought gleefully.

Only three fuglies left and then they could go take care of the ones taken out by the arrows at the start. But these vampires were getting smarter. Where in the beginning, they hadn't worked together, these three learned that fighting back to back might just get them out of here while the net was drawing tighter and tighter around them. Even though they were vastly outnumbered, they were giving it all they had in a desperate bid for freedom. There was less room to maneuver for the good guys, as they were all shoulder to shoulder to muzzle now – taking futile swipes at the leeches in the center because if they reached too far, the other two tried to make a grab for you.

Dean really wished he had some more Dead-man's blood right about now. Some nice and tasty poison would really do the trick on these fuckers.

Jake was next to Sammy, and he took a swipe at the one-handed vamp nearest to them. But instead of the leech lashing back at the wolf, he feinted and lunged for Sam. Dean dove for him, not even thinking of anything other than the need to stop that fuck from connecting with Sam. The remaining hand on the vampire slashed across Dean's forearm, raking across the skin and tearing thick slices into the flesh.

That really wasn't what was needed at the moment. Not at all.

They were all too close together now, and emotions were high and control was at minimum. The smell of Dean's fresh blood hit all the vampires – yellow-eyed and red-eyed alike. The Doc smashed into Dean's side, knocking him out of the circle, and the remaining Newborns used the distraction to bolt for it. Everyone took off after the runaways, except for mommy-vamp who still had an arm wrapped around her ribs, the Doc, Leah, Sam, and of course, Dean, who was on the ground being guarded by his brother, Carlisle and Leah. Dean saw a black-eyed Alice toss something his way before she tore off after the rest of the group, pulling on Jasper's hand as she did so.

It was Sam's scent amulet that he'd given her that morning so she could scout out the mountain pass. It landed in the grass next to him, and he hurriedly scooped it up and dropped it around his neck, tucking it under the material of his t-shirt. He wasn't so worried about the Doc as he was about Esme. She was standing several yards away and she was holding herself with a trembling rigidity.

"That's a bit better, but we'll need to wrap that up some before the others get back." Carlisle said as he pulled off the light jacket he was wearing and tore the sleeve off the shirt he was wearing underneath. He tore the sleeve into strips, and wrapped his arms with the strips, tying the ends tightly around the hunter's muscular arm.

They could hear the sounds of the fight going on just past the tree line to the west of the clearing. The last three Newborns were not going silently.

Eventually, the screaming stopped, and the guys were walking back with bits and pieces of vampire in their arms and muzzles.

It was over – and by some small miracle, they hadn't lost anyone.

* * *

_Can I go to Seth now Sam?_ Leah asked.

_I'm fine Leah!_ Seth snapped. _Stop mother hen-ing me_. He tore viciously into the blond vampire. There was no way to tell how Edward was doing with Victoria as Seth was too wrapped up with his own vampire in the bushes – and not knowing how Bella was doing was killing Jake.

_Come on Leah, let's run up there_. Jake offered, desperate to get to Bella and make sure she was okay.

_I don't need help!_ Seth shouted, spitting an entire arm into the bushes and smiling ferally at the outraged leech in front of him.

_Finish him off Seth_, Sam commanded. _Or else I'll let your sister run up there to help you_.

_On it!_ Seth lunged at the vampire's throat and latched on with ruthless abandon. It was all over in moments.

* * *

"You can't kill her!" They heard the Doc shout at Jasper. "She's surrendered!"

_What the hell_? Leah muttered as she glanced up to where the Cullen's had been taking care of the vampires shot with the poisoned arrows.

_The Doc just offered her clemency? Oh, that's rich_. Embry rolled his eyes.

_I've never heard of anything more ridiculous_. Quil groaned.

_Neither has Jasper_. She muttered. _I gotta say, I'm with the creepy leech on this one. Let's just rip her apart and be done with it_. She turned her head as she felt Dean approach and stand next to her, watching the Doc and Jasper argue about the small girl's fate.

"I don't like it either." He muttered, glaring mutinously at the downed vamp. "But Sam seems to be agreeing with Carlisle and I am just too tired to butt heads with them over it."

"She can't help it if she's never been taught." Carlisle argued. "She deserves a chance!"

"The Volturi are coming Carlisle." Jasper got out with forced calm. "Do you honestly believe that they will allow her to continue to exist with the crimes stacked against her?"

"Then that is in their hands. But I will not allow you to kill her when she has surrendered."

"I would end her swiftly," Jasper all but hissed. "Jane will toy with her like a cat does with a mouse – that will be on your conscience, not mine."

"Then so be it." Carlisle crossed his arms defiantly at his son.

"I will guard her while you and the rest gather up the pieces for burning." Jasper turned to the dark-haired girl and narrowed his eyes. "Make no mistake little one," he threatened, "if you try to move, I will kill you."

The girl nodded her head wretchedly as she finally turned her head towards the humans. Her lips curled back and she hissed at them.

"Aww, fuck off before _**I**_ kill you, you blood sucking bitch." Dean sneered.

_Now __**that's**__ why I enjoy him so much_. Leah smirked as she started to scan the ground for vampire bits to add to the bonfire that they were gonna start up in a few minutes.

* * *

Leah and Dean were scrounging for parts up near the outcropping of rocks at the northern end of the clearing. There wasn't much that ended up near there, but they had to make sure they got all the bits and she was better at sniffing them out than he was at seeing them in the longish grass. Jake wasn't far off, sniffing in the trees along with their Alpha and the two of them were searching for the scent of any that may have been hiding and ran off. There was no way to tell how many of them there were as Bree, the girl Jasper was watching, didn't have an exact number of how many of them there were.

Leah rounded the corner of the outcropping, amazed at how much the leech stink was saturating the area, and stopped dead in her tracks. She felt Sam and Jake perk up as what she saw fought to catch up with her brain.

Crouched and hiding in an alcove of the rocks, was a leech.

Leah bared her teeth and growled, earning the attention of her human, before she bounded after the now fleeing vampire.

A/N: I was so excited to post this chapter, and my fave show is back on air soon. Let me know if you think I got the fight scene right. In SM's book, all we saw was Edward's fight in the mountains, and my vamps aren't as super powered as hers were, so the fight wouldn't have been so simple or quick. I hope you guys liked it – I tried to be fair to all the characters and give them their due.


	24. FUBAR

Disclaimer: Kripke, Meyer and Ridley - _*bows*_ These guys are awesome – I'm just the hack that borrowed their toys.

A/N: This is the final chapter. There was nowhere to break it and I didn't want to anyways because there was no point in making you guys wait for the next posting. You guys have been awesome, encouraging, enthusiastic and I'm so happy to have come into contact with you all. This story has taken up a lot of my free time the last couple of months, and I could care less because I enjoyed every minute of it (except when my laptop crashed last week and fried the file. That sucked.) So without further ado, here is the final chapter of 'Attack of the Newborns.'

23. FUBAR

It was like a really bad dream being played in super slow-motion.

Dean saw the vampire bolt out of his hidey-hole in the outcropping and saw Leah tear off after him. Her powerful legs dug into the soil, throwing up bits of dirt and clumps of grass as she tore after the escaping leech. He saw the vampire turn suddenly, saw Leah leap for him, and saw the vamp's hand rear back. There was no way that Leah could avoid it – mid-air like she was, and Dean was already running towards them but he knew there was no way to get to her before the impact. The vampire swung at her, connecting with the side of her face and sent her sprawling into the rocks. Her howl of pain sent shivers down his spine and he willed himself to run faster. He saw a large shape streak past him – a giant russet colored wolf who dove for the vamp with a vicious snarl escaping from his lips. Jake got a good hit in before the vampire smashed him across the face, stunning him enough to wrap his arms around Jake's body and squeezing with all he had. Jake gave out a sickening yelp, quickly cut off as it looked like the vampire was trying to actually rip him in two.

Dean let out a bellow of rage as he brought the machete up and swung it at the vampire with all he had. It sliced brutally into his back, eliciting the vampire's own bellow of rage as he threw Jake at the ground. Dean tried to put himself between Jake and the vampire, holding the machete like a baseball bat and waiting for that blood-sucking bastard to make a move. His red eyes bored into Dean's. Predator's eyes – and Dean could see the soulless monster behind those eyes. It was like looking into the eyes of a shark – empty and eternally hungry all at the same time.

A growl came from the side and Uley smashed into the vampire, latching on around his neck and weighing him down to the ground where they grappled furiously. The leech brought a foot up and planted it in Uley's stomach, kicking him brutally and allowing him to regain his feet. Apparently, this vamp wasn't a novice to fighting like his companions had been. He was stronger, craftier and smarter and was now watching the hunter and the big black wolf advance on him together.

Dean saw his red-eyes flick to the side, and Dean knew the cavalry was coming. "You'll never get away." Dean hissed and Uley growled his agreement. Dean could hear Jake whimpering in pain, and he could hear Leah's suffering too. The fact that this sonofabitch hurt the two of them made Dean see red. He felt as if his senses were sharper, and everything was still in slow motion. Uley was crouched and snarling at the vampire. The vamp was cagey, crouched as well and his eyes were darting everywhere because he knew he was fucked – he was just planning on taking someone with him.

Uley swiped at him, causing the vamp to jump back a step. Dean swung his machete, hitting only empty air as the vamp danced back another step. The leech looked like he was about to attack again when the crazy bastard wolf slammed into him from behind and tore into him like a dog with a rat. He wasn't alone for long as every able-bodied wolf in the clearing jumped onto the last vampire and his screams were quickly cut off as the wolves tore him to pieces.

Dean backed away from the sight, and was brought back to earth when he heard the Doc calling out and the pained sounds coming from Jake and Leah.

Jake was sprawled on the ground, clawing feebly at the grass, trying to pull himself along to no avail. It looked like one half of his body was dragging dead alongside of him and the sight made Dean's stomach lurch. The Doc dropped to the ground next to Jake, who was obviously worse off than Leah, and started running probing hands over Jake's mangled body. Jake howled out in pain at the contact – or it may have been him swearing at the vampire to get away from him – it was hard to tell. Regardless, Jake was in bad shape.

A grunt from the left brought his attention back to Leah, who was trying to pull herself to her feet. Dean ran to her side to see what the damage was. She had nearly been impaled on a sharp slice of rock. There was a nasty hole in her rear hind-quarter, an angry gouge down her entire leg, and one eye was swelled shut.

"Oh fuck Leah," he breathed, reaching out to touch her swollen face when she snapped at him. He snatched his hand back before she could relieve him of a couple of his fingers. Giving her a relieved chuckle, he said, "Well, at least your temper's intact."

"Dean?" Sammy called from next to Jake and the Doc. "She okay?"

"She'll live." Dean called back, already seeing the cuts down her leg start to slowly knit itself back together.

"Then get over here." The worry and concern behind Sam's calm voice would have not have been detected by anyone who didn't know him. Jake was in bad shape.

Embry was next to them, whining slightly and pacing back and forth. Uley was there too, keeping a watchful eye on the Doc. The Alpha glared at the other wolves who were loitering around and they all started picking up the shreds of vampire and carrying them over to the Cullens who were pouring fluid on a pile of branches and limbs. Dean caught sight of Alice standing alone on the west of the clearing and staring at the mountain. She was stock still against the green background of the tree line.

"She's trying to see," Carlisle muttered distractedly as he continued running his hands over Jake's body, much to the wolf's displeasure.

"How bad is it Doc?" Dean asked, dropping to his knees next to the vampire who had undoubtedly saved his life when he knocked him out of the circle earlier. Dean placed a light hand on Jake's rising and falling ribcage. Dude's breathing was way too labored for his liking.

"It's hard to tell. I never went to veterinary school. This would be easier if he phased back."

"Doc, phasing's gonna more than tickle right about now." Sam growled from the other side of Jake's broken body.

They looked up as they caught sight of Alice sprinting towards him. "You need to leave." She said urgently.

"What is it Alice?" Carlisle demanded.

"They're coming. We got about ten minutes at the most." She turned to Uley. "You need to get out of here. Now."

Uley growled at her menacingly. "Don't you get it?" She hissed. "We are **all** dead if they catch you here. Any of you." She finished while looking at the hunters. "You need to run and you need to do it now."

"Jake's not running anywhere right now Alice." Dean snarled at her. "And we are not leaving him here."

"Then carry him out."

"How the fuck are we gonna carry him out like this?" Sam threw at her, gesturing to the giant, keening wolf.

Jake gave Alice a baleful look before he let out an ear piercing howl of pain and the wolf was gone and there was a naked Quileute sprawled face down on the ground. "Happy now… you little bitch?" Jake hissed between clenched teeth.

"Take him to La Push," Carlisle ordered. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"You hear that Jake?" Dean tried to joke as Jake's injuries became more evident in naked human form – Dude was fucked. "Doctor Blood-Sucker's gonna make a house call and bring the good drugs with him."

"Better bring… the whole medicine… cabinet," he gasped painfully.

"No shorts today, huh?" Dean asked, trying to keep everything light because Jake's joints were at angles that weren't normal and his flesh was mottled with ruptured blood vessels.

"Bite me." He grunted.

Jake let out another bone chilling howl and a string of curses when they draped his arms over their shoulders and hefted him up.

"Fuck Jake," Dean cursed, "… you're heavier than Sammy."

"Better lookin' too." Jake's head lolled and he looked like he was gonna pass out.

"I swear Sam," Dean threatened, "… you ever tell Caleb about us carrying a naked guy out of the woods… I'll kill you."

"You think I'm gonna tell him that?" Sam grunted from under Jake's dead weight. "I'm gonna need a couple bottles to burn this out of my memory."

"… No picnic… for me either." Jake gasped. "Feel like a… drunken prom date."

"If either of us had gone to a prom," Sam grunted, "…she woulda been prettier than you."

"Hey!" Emmett gave a sharp whistle and a shout but didn't come near them. "You'll never be able to carry him all the way to the road like that." Something silver flashed through the air and landed near Dean's feet. They were a pair of keys. "My jeep's a quarter mile down that trail." The linebacker vamp pointed towards a game trail. "Don't crash my ride – Rosalie suped it up for me." He gave Jake an amused smile. "Now get the mutt outta here." There was a whoosh from behind him as Rosalie tossed a match on the pyre. Thick, acrid purple smoke started to billow up and fill the air. Dean glanced at the mountain top and saw a slender column of purple smoke snaking its way across the sky there as well.

_What went on up there?_

Jake managed to give the vamp the middle finger on the hand that didn't look like it disintegrated. Embry picked the keys up with his muzzle and dropped them into Dean's hand so that they didn't have to jostle Jake to retrieve them themselves. A jeep just down the trail was a hell of a lot better than trying to lug the massive Quileute all the way to the dirt road and the Impala. Add to that the fact that the fucking Volturi guard were minutes away, and driving the Vamp-mobile sounded like a great option.

There was an entourage of wolves shadowing them as they went. They weren't about to run in case they didn't make it to the jeep before the guard arrived. Dean was heartened by seeing Leah do an odd but painful looking three-legged trot alongside them. She was in pain, but she was gonna pull through and get out of there under her own power.

The noises coming from Jake on the other hand, brought him crashing back to reality. There was just no way to carry the guy without hurting him. His breaths were coming out in short hard gasps and his teeth were clenched as he growled out every expletive known to man and some entirely new combinations Dean had never heard before.

"Geez Jake," Dean muttered in an effort to keep him talking. Passing out sounded like a really bad idea right about now. "…You kiss Bella with that mouth?"

"She kissed me…" he panted, head still lolling side to side.

This was officially the longest quarter mile in history. The game trial was narrow, uneven with rocks and tree roots, and there were branches overhanging everywhere. Some wolves were trotting out front, others bringing up the rear, and the rest were flanking them on the sides of the trail in the woods.

"She kissed you huh? Bet Eddie didn't like that one bit." Dean grunted under the guy's weight.

"Don't imagine he did." Jake's head suddenly dropped to his chest and Dean nearly dropped him in panic.

"Don't fall asleep on us man." Sam encouraged him. "We want you awake."

"Yeah Jake," Dean's head was spinning to come up with something to keep the guy conscious. "What happened on the mountain top? I saw purple smoke."

"Seth and Eddie…" _wheeze_ "…bitch found them up there."

"They take her out?" Sam questioned.

"Seth took a… leech on… all on his own. Bitch had a… boyfriend… with her."

"You don't say?" Dean grunted. "Seth took him out all on his own huh?"

"Little jerk's as… stubborn... as his sister."

"Dean. Look." Sam whispered, nodding ahead of them.

Just ahead and a beautiful sight to behold was Emmett's jeep. She was the Range Rover with the roll-bars they had seen in the Cullens' garage. She was still caked in mud and she was gonna get them the hell outta Dodge.

"Hey Jake," Dean joked, "…you feel up for me rolling that bitch?"

"You come back… when I'm healed up… and I'll help you… push it over a cliff."

"That's right Jake." Sam jumped in. "You just hold on and we'll get you home. Hopefully the Doc won't be too far behind us."

"Tell 'im… I want the good drugs."

"Trust me," Dean grunted, reaching out to open the back door, "... nothin' beats morphine. Now that's the good shit." And he didn't know how they were gonna get Jake in the rear of the jeep without killing the guy. He shared a glance with Sam, who was under the same impression as he was.

Jake must have caught the look, and wheezed out, "Just do it."

They tried to be as gentle as they possibly could. It didn't stop Jake from opening up his repertoire of curse words. Sliding him into the backseat actually made him pass out, and right now, that actually made it easier to get him positioned. Dean glanced around the jeep looking for a blanket or something to cover the guy up, but there was nothing in the vehicle to use.

"Let's just get outta here Dude." Sam nudged him and jogged over to the passenger seat.

Dean climbed into the driver's seat, looked at the off-road harness and said '_screw it_' to the thought of taking precious minutes to figure it out. Standing on the clutch, he twisted the key in the ignition and gave a silent prayer of thanks when it started easily. The throaty hum of the engine was music to his ears. He smiled to himself when the CD player kicked in and it was Metallica's 'Harvester of Sorrow' belting out of the speakers – truly music to his ears. Who'd have thought the frat-boy liked metal?

As soon as the jeep started moving, wolves started running ahead of them. Unfortunately, the wolves ran faster than Dean could drive the jeep over the corduroy trail, as every bump sent them rocking around in the cab of the vehicle. It didn't take long for the ride to wake Jake back up, cursing his heart out again. His unbroken hand gripped the holy-shit handle above his head in an effort to keep himself from being jostled too badly, but that wasn't enough. Dude had a set of lungs on him and a foul mouth any sailor would be proud of.

After an eternity of negotiating the treacherous mountain trail, they hit the relative smoothness of the dirt road, and Dean gunned it. Wolves could be seen in the rearview mirror zipping into the woods that would lead them home. Dean even caught a glimpse of the silver wolf darting into the trees after her pack. She was still favoring her back leg, but she was running and that was a move in the right direction.

Dean was forced to cut his speed when they got back to the main roads, as he didn't want to be pulled over for speeding and being caught with a mangled, naked Indian in the backseat would be really difficult to explain – especially in the Cullens' conspicuously expensive ride. Thankfully, the Range Rover had dark tint on all the windows and Dean was fairly confident that no one could see in. He figured it made sense for the vampires to have dark tint as glittering like a princess' tiara would attract attention if they were caught while out on the road.

They reached the turn off to La Push without Jake passing out again, and the forest lined road looked like heaven. Dean winced internally at that thought. He'd never see those pearly gates – if they even existed.

"You'll have to tell me which one is your house Buddy." Dean called to cover up the bile that threatened to rise in his throat.

"Just past the second turn… in the road." Jake grunted.

_His breathing is still too shallow_. He thought to himself.

"Got it."

He was just rounding the first turn when he stomped down on the brake and clutch and veered off to the side a bit to avoid hitting Embry who was standing half naked in the middle of the road.

Dean hit the button for the window to roll down and yelled, "Dude! What the hell?!"

"You can't take him to his house." Embry leaned in the window and scrunched his nose and pulled back. "The vampire stink is intense Bro," he smirked at Jake, "How they treatin' ya?"

Embry's jovial behavior didn't fool either brother. They'd been on both ends of that _I'm-not-worried_ smirk more times than was healthy.

"I think they copped a feel." Jake moaned. "Why can't they take me… to the house?"

"Chief Swan's there and if he sees you naked and banged up like that he'll never let you hang with Bella again."

"Good call. Tell me you got some… shorts for me or something."

"Snuck in your bedroom window." Embry smirked and tossed a pair of shorts into the backseat so that they landed on Jake's middle.

_Thank God_.

"There's a problem…" Dean cut in. "Sammy and I can't show up in this ride with the Chief there. We already ran into him and told him we were FBI agents, and something tells me he'd recognize this jeep even if he hadn't already seen that I drive an Impala."

"I'm telling you Dude – that is a sweet-ass car you got." Embry grinned.

"Can you… car-crush... later Man?" Jake replied irritably, "What am I… supposed to do? Just sit here… and wait for Charlie to go home?"

"Quil and I thought up an alibi for you Bro." Embry nodded towards the ditch and the trees on the other side of it. For the first time, Dean noticed a wolf standing stone still just inside the tree line. "You were riding your bike and skid out."

"Charlie's gonna insist on… taking me to the… hospital moron." Jake rolled his eyes. "I don't know… if you've caught on yet… but we can't just waltz… into the ER anymore."

"We don't have to go anywhere if we wait for Doc Cullen to show up. He can say he came on the accident just after it happened, and that you're not that bad off. Charlie won't question the Doc."

"Guys," Sam broke in, "…we can't just sit here blocking the road. We gotta move."

"Pull into that break in the trees over there." Embry pointed to what looked like a wide mountain bike trail.

"The one on the other side of the ditch?" Dean raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's what this rig is made for isn't it? Besides, what do you care if you ruin Emmett's suspension?" The Quileute gave him an evil grin.

"True." Dean shrugged.

"Besides…" Jake put on a false bravado, "…weren't me and you gonna… push this piece of vampire shit… over a cliff in a couple days?"

"Jake, it's gonna hurt." Sam turned in his seat to look at the guy.

"It already fucking hurts. Just do it already… before someone comes along… and sees me with my junk hanging out… with you two driving me around… like Miss Daisy."

"Good point." Sam conceded.

Dean eased down the wide shallow ditch, toying with the clutch and gas to keep from stalling out when he was rocking at the bottom of the ditch and trying to get up the other side – all the while ignoring Jake's bellowing of pain in the backseat and trying to go as easy as he could. He managed to get up the other side and pulled as far up the wide trail as he could – it was barely wide enough to accommodate the jeep.

Branches and boughs scraped the sides of the vehicle and Jake let out a wheezy chuckle. "Emmett's gonna be pissed… that you scratched the paint… on his ride."

"What's it matter?" Dean joked back. "We're just gonna dump it later anyway."

"I got the cliff all lined up."

When Dean couldn't see the road behind him anymore, he cut the engine and squeezed out the door. There was more room on Sam and Jake's side, which was what he was going for because they would need the space to get the big guy out.

Embry was there, and suddenly there was another guy standing there and pulling a pair of shorts up around his waist.

"You and your buddies know anything about modesty?" Sam complained to Embry.

"When you're swinging what we're swinging," the new guy grinned, "…you don't care."

"Nice dude." Dean rolled his eyes. "Real classy." _Cocky bastard_. "Where's everyone else?"

"Sam's got them all running a perimeter around the base of the mountain." Embry replied while opening Jake's door. "Need to make sure none of the guard go into town."

"And Leah?" Dean tried to keep the worry out of his voice. Leah was in no condition to outrun a vampire at the moment.

"She's stationed a bit further out than the rest, but she'll be okay. Pretty pissed the vampire landed one on her to tell you the truth." Embry explained.

"And pissed that Seth is gloating that he got one all to himself while the rest of us had to share kills." The new guy grinned broadly. "I'm Quil, by the way." He raised a hand in greeting while climbing into the back seat from the opposite side of the jeep. "Fucking vampire stink man!" Quil's curse carried outside to the hunters. "How'd you manage to not ralph all over the place?"

The brothers stood back to allow the Quileutes room to maneuver Jake out. There was the standard screaming of curses as they man-handled him into the open. Jake was one tough sonofabitch – that was for sure because he was unbelievably broken, and he was still conscious. They laid him on the ground and Quil threaded his feet into the shorts and pulled them up his legs.

"That puts an end to your showin' off Bro." Quil laughed. "Makin' the white boys jealous."

"Remind me to kill you later." Jake grunted, his face sweating from the pain.

"Hey!" Embry's ear cocked towards the road. "What's that?"

Quil looked at Dean and gave him an evil, devious laugh. "Oh… This won't be pretty."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked angrily.

"Listen." Quil smirked, enjoying himself way too much.

It took a moment, but the throaty growl of an engine was approaching.

_It can't be_… Dean looked questioningly at the natives who were grinning like idiots spoiling for a fight.

"Is that…?" He didn't even want to voice the thought, and ran down the trail to the road to see for himself. Sam wasn't far behind him as he hit the edge of the trees and the throaty growl he knew as well as he knew Sam's voice came around the turn and stopped next to him.

"That fucker drove my car." Dean whispered in utter shock. Edward fucking Cullen was getting out of the driver's seat of _his_ classic '67 Chevy Impala. That fucking mind-reading, condescending douchebag had fucking hot-wired his baby!

"I'm gonna kill him." Dean whispered with deadly conviction. "I'm gonna fuckin' kill him."

"Now's not the time Dude." Sam said, striding towards Carlisle who jumped the ditch and was headed towards them with his medical bag in hand.

"How is he?" Doc asked Sam.

"Conscious but hurting bad. We got him laid out up here. Chief Swan's at his house and we couldn't take him there."

"Yes. Charlie's presence will make this more difficult."

Dean ignored their conversation in lieu of planning Edward's slow and painful death. He also forgot about putting up his mental blocks because Edward turned sharply towards him.

"It really is a well kept machine." He offered, reaching under the wheel and the car shut off.

_Little fucker. Hot-wired my fucking car_.

"You obviously love it, and it was lovely to drive for a domestic vehicle – very nostalgic." He stood back up and faced the glowering hunter.

_I will fill you full of poison and tear you apart bit by bit_.

"Jasper was particularly taken with it. He had one in '68. Of course we had to dump it in Lake Michigan when he… well… his control issues were worse then." Edward seemed determined not to listen to his mental tirade.

_Then I'll scatter your remains in a bat cave to be shit on for eternity_.

"Well, let's get Jacob taken care of shall we?"

Dean put his blocks up in time to land a stinging left hook on the vampire. Edward's head snapped back and he went sprawling. Dean stood over the fallen vamp rubbing his knuckles. Fucker had a hell of a hard face and he might have fractured something in his hand but the satisfaction of punching that douchebag in the face was worth the pain.

"You ever even look at that car again," Dean threatened, "I'll kill you." He turned on his heel and followed the sound of Jake's pained bellows back the others.

* * *

"Some of the smaller bones have started to heal themselves." The Doc told Jake, his voice serious and grave. "I'm afraid I'll have to re-break some of them to set them straight."

He had just given the Quileute a full-body rub down, and the prognosis was bad but not bleak. One side of Jake's body was indeed broken. Left femur, left radial, left fibula, several ribs cracked, broken hand and finger bones, and a likely fractured ankle. But his lungs didn't seem to be punctured, nor were any major organs. Just a kaleidoscope of bruises all over him that were more garish than deadly. So on the whole, with the way Jake's body was repairing itself, he would be back to his smart-assed self in no time. It was just gonna be a rough couple of days to start with.

"I'm going to give you a shot of morphine for the pain, Jacob." Carlisle drew a syringe from his bag and a clear vial. "I'm sorry to have to do this, but the bones must be set straight."

"Just… get on with it Doc." Jake groaned.

Carlisle filled the syringe part way, rubbed an alcohol pad on a part of Jake's unbroken shoulder, and stuck him.

"Are you sure that's enough, Carlisle?" Edward asked. "His metabolism is much faster than that of one of your normal patients. He may burn through it too fast."

"Look who's all House MD" Quil nudged Sam and snickered.

"I've been to medical school." Edward snipped at him. "I could just never practice for obvious reasons."

"How's your arm holding up, Son?" Carlisle called to Dean.

Dean shrugged. His arm wasn't bothering him. It wasn't until they reached the mountain-bike trail that he realized he'd soaked through the strips of the Doc's shirt that he bound him up with, and that was why the other Cullens hadn't come near them back at the clearing. Well… except Alice and she'd had bigger things on her mind at the moment – like getting them the hell out of there before they were all vaporized by the Volturi guard.

"I can take a proper look at it for you in a minute if you like. I have everything I need here with me." He nodded towards his medical bag.

"I'm fine Doc." Dean insisted. "Just get Jakey-boy looked after."

"I'll just let the morphine have another moment to work its way into your system." Carlisle pulled down on Jake's lower eyelid to check his pupils.

"How did things go up in the clearing Doc?" Embry asked. "Sam will need to know."

"The Volturi have left with the promise to not feed in the State." Carlisle said, ignoring Em and Quil's growl of disapproval. Feeding on someone else out of State wasn't any better.

"What about your little POW girl?" Dean asked.

"The Guard were unsympathetic towards her I'm afraid." The Doc busied himself with his black bag, but Dean could tell he was upset about the kid getting knocked off. "It would appear that Jasper was being more realistic than I was."

"You tried Doc." Sam offered, ignoring Embry's eyeroll.

"Bella?" Jake asked, his voice getting groggy and his head lolling side to side.

"She's fine Jacob." Edward reassured him.

"I kissed your girlfriend…" Jake sing-songed drunkenly.

"I'm aware."

"What-cha gonna do 'bout it?" Jake challenged him. It might have been more effective if he wasn't grinning with unfocused eyes.

"How about I wait for you to heal before I come back and break you all over again?"

"Deal Blood-sucker. Gonna… fuck you up." Edward actually smiled at him like they were best friends and this was how they always talked to each other. Who could understand these teens nowadays? But Eddie seemed to be genuinely concerned about Jake's current condition, and right now, Dean didn't care who was human, who was vamp or who was wolf. All that mattered was Jake healing properly.

"What about the Volturi and their ultimatum Carlisle?" Sam asked softly. They didn't know if Jake and the Quileutes knew about that part of the story or not, and they didn't want to be the ones to tell them Bella had an expiry date on her head.

"The Volturi will leave us alone for now."

_For now. Enough said_, Dean thought.

Carlisle checked Jake's eyes again. He looked up at the people standing in a circle around him and said, "I'll need you to help hold him down. This won't be pleasant."

* * *

They were still on the mountain-bike trail waiting for the Doc to come back. He and Edward had loaded Jake back in the jeep, and much to Embry and Quil's repugnance, the Quileutes rode with them back to Jake's house. It was all for appearances sake. How could Jake have been riding his bike with his buddies if they didn't ride back with him to his house with the Doc, who happened to be driving past just after Jake had skid out. Very fortunate for Jake – very fortunate indeed.

Dean used the waiting time to make calls to Caleb and Bobby, reassuring them that the thing was finished and they were fine. All fuglies dead and accounted for.

Sam was pacing, clearly something was on his mind and Dean didn't know if he wanted to know what it was or not.

"That was another one we scraped through by the skin of our teeth, huh?" Sam offered, trying to make conversation in the awkward silence in the trees.

"Yeah, and we didn't lose anyone on our side. Fucking miracle."

"Dean… Look man, I'm sorry I lashed out at you about being blinded by Leah. The wolves really came through for us today. Even Uley."

Dean did not feel like doing the whole EMO bit, but Sammy was looking at him with the puppy eyes and his shaggy hair was in his face and he looked like he really wanted to talk. So he swallowed his reluctance, and said. "I'm sorry too. About the Cullens. I'm still gonna fucking kill Eddie for hot-wiring the Impala… But the Doc is alright – Esme too."

Sam nodded, accepting the apology for what it was. They settled down on the damp forest floor to wait for the Doc to come back and tell them how Jake was gonna make out.

* * *

Nearly forty five minutes passed before the Doc and Edward came back. Apparently, Charlie was pretty determined that Jake should go to the hospital. It took Carlisle's promise of a long stint of house calls to make the Chief drop it. Little did Charlie know, that Jake would be healed up in days, not weeks.

"I'd like to thank you, Gentlemen, for everything you've done to help us. I don't know what would have happened today if you weren't there." Carlisle shook both their hands. It was a conscious effort for Dean to not recoil from the touch, but he didn't see the need to act like a jerk to the Doc anymore – the guy might have saved his life earlier. "If there is anything that you need – anything at all – please let me know."

"Thanks Doc, but unless you're gonna give us a standing prescription for pain meds… there's not a lot else we need." Dean joked.

"There is something…" Sam started, sounding like he was shy and embarrassed but determined all the same. Dean turned his head towards his little brother, wondering what the hell Sam wanted from the Doc.

"Anything." Carlisle offered.

Dean saw Edward look sharply at the pair of them when Sam turned to him and whispered, "Dean, it's about your deal."

"Sam…" He warned, not liking the way Eddie was looking at them or the way the Doc was glancing back and forth between Sam and his son, trying to catch up to what was going on.

"No." Sam growled. "I think they can help us."

"Sam!"

"Anything you want is yours." Doc insisted. "Money, help… Anything."

"Turn us." Sam blurted out.

"Sam!"

"It could work!"

"Is this what you've been up to?" Dean demanded angrily. Carlisle was clearly confused, looking to his son for help because apparently Sammy wasn't keeping his blocks up to keep the vamp out of his head. "Is this why you've been pushing them on me so hard?"

"This might be the answer to your deal Dean." Sam snarled through clenched teeth. "Just hear me out."

"No." Dean crossed his arms and took a couple unnecessary steps back. It wasn't as if the Doc was going to jump forward and bite him – he clearly had no idea what Sam was getting at.

"You want to be transformed?" Carlisle asked hesitantly.

"Yes."

"No." Dean shot at the Doc. "Damn it Sammy, how could you think this would work?" He bellowed.

"The hellhounds might not be able to kill you if you're vamped out." Sam stepped towards him, his voice pleading. "It could buy us the time to find and kill Lilith. To stop it."

"Sam," he ground out, "…this is not an answer to my problem. This is no different than the Doc Benton case a few weeks back."

"I know, I know what the problem with that was… and… my bad, okay? You're not gonna kill innocents and harvest organs to stay alive. I get it. But we could live like the Cullens…"

"We?" Dean said indignantly.

"I'll take the plunge too, Dean." He stepped forward and the earnest hope in the kid's eyes was painful to look at. Painful, because there was no way he was gonna give the guy what he wanted. Not. A. Chance. In. Hell… Literally.

"Sammy. Stop." Dean clasped a hand on the back of his brother's neck to hold his attention. "No."

"But we can live off animals, man. We won't hurt people and we can still hunt… We'll still be badass hunters…" and the tears were running down Sam's face now and every drop was another knife to his heart because he had reduced his brother to this. He had Sam reduced to thinking vampirism was a way to cheat the devil of his due.

"It's still welching on the deal Sammy." Dean shook his head. Didn't the kid get it? Didn't he understand that the sole purpose of the deal was so that Sammy could live on?

"But I'll do it too. We can do it together and I won't have to keep going without you." Sam's enormous shoulders were shaking and Dean realized that the weight the guy was carrying was getting too much. A desperate Sam was no better than a desperate Dean, but he would be the only Winchester to make the final trip downstairs. Sam would just have to realize he had more of a future than his brother did.

"You're all I got left, and you're gonna leave me." Sam whispered, tears slipping off his cheeks and falling to the damp forest floor. "Why can't you just let me help you?" He pleaded, his green eyes searching for any hint that he was getting through to his older brother.

"If offering you a place in my family," Carlisle stepped forward, speaking slowly and softly, "…would help you in any way… it's yours."

"Carlisle…" Edward said softly, placing a hand on his father's elbow and tugging him back a step. Edward gave a slight shake to his head – he could see the intentions of both men standing on the wooded path.

"We can't do it Sam. I won't do it and I won't allow you to." Dean whispered, feeling his heart wrenching in his chest.

Sam sniffed back a tear and gave a sad, frustrated laugh. "Yeah, you're just gonna leave me behind while you go to hell. Thanks Dean. That will be real easy to live with, having that on my conscience."

"Sam…"

"And what about Leah? Huh? What about her?" Sam shoved his hand off his shoulder angrily.

"What does she have to do with anything?"

"You care about her," Sam accused him, "…and you're just gonna leave her behind too."

"And you think that if I turn vampire, that she and I will just ride off into the sunset together? Didn't you notice how much the wolves hate the vampires on principle alone? I guess our wanting to kill each other on sight is no different than any other relationship in America." He said scornfully.

"You could try," Sam hissed. "You're just too afraid."

"It's Hell Sammy." Dean shouted, forgetting that they had an audience. "I got two options, and the one you're selling isn't any better than the one I'm facing."

"It doesn't have to be that way. We can live like the Cullens. The others will understand. Bobby and Caleb and everyone… They'll understand or to Hell with them."

"It's not worth the risk." He hissed.

"It's Hell." Sam ground out. "If that's not worth the risk, what is?"

"Your life isn't worth the risk Sam! Don't you get it?!"

"So that's it then is it?" Sam swiped angrily at a tear. "You'd rather die and let Lilith and the Hellhounds have you than be saved."

"If it means not turning into one of the monsters I've spent my whole life hunting? Then yes. That's exactly what I'm saying."

"You know, that's so fucking typical of you. You…"

"Guys?" Edward interrupted. "We've got company."

Dean looked up sharply and there was the gangly wolf limping onto the path from the woods.

Seth. Leah's brother.

The kid was looking at him with giant eyes, whimpering pitifully, and wiping at his muzzle.

"A little more warning would have been nice." He snapped at the mind-reader. Edward held his hands up in a gesture of surrender and took a step back. Seth whimpered again and took a tentative step closer to the hunter.

_Fuck. How much did they hear?_

"Most of it." Edward answered him.

_Crap. Blocks_.

"Stay out of my fucking head." He swore at him.

"Trust me," Edward said softly, "…your head isn't a place I want to be."

Seth whimpered again and nudged him in the arm with his nose. "Is Leah running?" He asked the wolf and the mind-reader both.

"Yes." Edward answered while Seth nodded.

Dean stepped into the mind-reader' s personal space and in a hushed whisper, hissed, "What's she saying?"

"She's not saying anything."

"Then what is she _thinking_?" Dean growled at him.

"No." Edward replied, shaking his head. "I'm not getting in the middle of that. You talk to her yourself."

_Fuck_.

Seth nudged him again and Dean felt like everything was falling in around him all at once. The fucking roof was caving in and he was stuck standing there like a cartoon idiot holding an umbrella over his head. And he felt like an idiot talking to Leah through her and her brother's mind link – and how awful _that_ just sounded in his own head. Not to mention that every other Quileute that was running on four legs was listening in right now and what the hell does he say to her in the first place? I'm sorry I got attached to you? I'm sorry that I'm going to hell? I'm sorry that this is going to hurt you? I'm sorry for talking to you in the first place and letting you get close to me when I should have fucking known better?

_Pretend they didn't just hear what they heard_.

So instead of addressing Leah directly, he spoke to Seth instead. "Look man… uhhh… tell your sister for me, that I'm sorry, and I gotta go. Sammy and me got some stuff to do out of State, and… just… I'm sorry."

He had to get out of here. There was no way he wanted anyone to start looking at him with pity in their eyes. Dean stood, nodded at a solemn Carlisle, and walked down the trail to the car parked on the side of the road. He didn't make it too far before he heard Sam's footfalls following him.

* * *

All Dean wanted to do was get the fuck out of Washington. He wanted to get into the Impala and drive east and put this place and everything that was fucked up about it in his rearview mirror and never look back.

He was practically standing on the gas pedal, racing up the road that would take him out of La Push and to the back-road highways that were the closest thing he had to a home. Sam hadn't said a word, and was staring blankly out the window. It was when Sam sat forward and stared out the passenger window that Dean saw the silver wolf racing through the trees. Her body and legs were nearly horizontal with the ground, as if she were flying instead of running. Dean stepped on the brake, and pulled over roughly onto the gravel shoulder, spraying dust and rocks as he barely put his baby in park before getting out. Telling himself the entire time to get the hell back in the car – to not do this.

But he didn't listen to good advise very often, and never his own. So he slid down the short embankment and leapt over the weed filled ditch that ran the length of the road. He walked into the trees, grateful that Sam had the good sense to stay in the damn car instead of following him.

He couldn't see her, but knew she was there, just out of site. He could feel her. Feel her like nothing he's ever felt before in his life. Every cell in his body was pulling him forward. To her. Always to her.

He could have found her in the dark and blindfolded.

And then she was there.

Walking out from behind a giant tree trunk, he noticed a purple bruise on her face, and she was walking with a bit of a limp. Still barefoot and in the same gray shorts and red t-shirt she wore when he first met her, she was just as beautiful now as she had been then – bruises and all. Perhaps more so.

"You sonofabitch. Were you really going to leave without giving me a proper goodbye?" She whispered as she closed the distance between them.

"Leah… I…" He started, but was completely startled when a fist came flying straight at his face.

"Whoa!" He dodged, grabbing her arm before she could make contact. But Leah had two arms and the second thudded painfully into his shoulder when he ducked and twisted to spare his nose from being broken again.

"Leah! Stop!" He pulled her against him, holding her tight to him so that she could do less damage.

"You sonofabitch." She gasped into his shoulder as the flats of her fists beat against his chest a couple times before her fingers twisted into the fabric of his t-shirt. She seemed to bury her face into him, breathing him in. Drinking him all down so that she could keep part of his soul here with her.

And he just held her. Pressing his cheek against the top of her hair and breathing in the wild smell of forest, air and mountain-rain that was Leah. She was trembling, and Dean hoped – he prayed – that is was some freak wolf/temper thing that signaled she was close to hulking out. He hoped it was that, because if she was trembling because she was crying, then Dean was going to lose it. If he looked down into her face and saw that those so-dark-brown-they-may-as-well-be-black eyes had tears in them – it would make all of it real. And he couldn't let it be real because it was Hell, and it was coming for him and coming fast. And he couldn't keep going if he were shaking and pissing himself in fear which is exactly what was going to happen if Leah started crying.

"You're dying." She said flatly – a statement and not a question. He couldn't answer her, but his hand involuntarily fisted in the material of her t-shirt.

And God fucking bless her she didn't look up.

"How long do you have?" She mumbled into his neck and he could feel her breath through the thin cotton of his shirt. She had let go of her death grip on his t-shirt and was tracing light circular patterns over his heart. He could feel the heat pouring off her body and his skin soaked it up greedily. He'd been cold for so long that he kept soaking it up, knowing the damage it was doing and not caring.

"Not long." He whispered.

She pressed her ear against his collarbone, like she was listening to his heart beating and committing the sound to memory. She still didn't look up and all Dean could think was that Leah got him like he got her. Neither could look the other in the face right now. They didn't have the strength.

"Longer than six minutes?" She laughed sadly as she snaked one hand up behind his neck to twist her fingers in the short hairs at the base of his skull – her ear still pressed to his collar.

He sighed into her hair. "Sweetheart… There isn't enough time left in my lifetime to do what I want to do with you." And that may have been the most honest thing Dean has ever said to a woman in his entire. Fucking. Life.

So she said nothing and he continued to hold her even though he knew he was going to pay for it later – that she was going to pay for it later. But he was a masochistic bastard and told himself that all the pain he was going to be feeling later was worth the price of holding onto something so wild and beautiful and _so perfectly his_ for a few minutes now.

Because that was all they had – a few minutes now. He was going to leave and then he was going to die and then he was going to Hell where his torturers would wear Leah's face. And all he could do was hope that he hadn't added to her hurt any more than necessary because he wanted her to move on. He wanted her to forget him and get out of this nowhere reservation and find a man that might be able to keep up with her and call her on all her bullshit. Someone who would appreciate the Earth-bound warrior-angel that was Leah.

Someone worthy of her because he sure as hell wasn't.

She sighed heavily, lifting her hand from the back of his neck and pulling away. The loss of heat was startling and he had to stop himself from reaching out to pull her back.

She kept her head down and turned away as she turned her back on him and walked into the trees without looking back or saying a word. And Dean preferred it that way. He would rather the last memory of her face be of her pissed off and throwing punches than the chance of seeing her beautiful copper skin stained with tear tracks.

He stood there, watching the way she disappeared, but she never came back. Eventually he turned back for the road, and as he was jumping the ditch again he heard a lone wolf cry out of the forest, and it was then joined by several more and the sound of it was heartbreaking and miserable.

Sam's window was down and his head jerked up at the sound of the howling. Whatever Dean's face looked like, it was enough that Sam didn't ask him anything and Dean just got in the car and gunned it.

Eventually, Sam asked, "Where are we going?" His voice was flat and lifeless.

"East." Short and to the point.

"Any particular destination?" His brother asked, detached.

"Someplace out of fucking Washington that has a bar."

Sam mouthed the word '_okay_' but turned back to the window and left it at that and Dean was thankful that his brother wasn't going to push the EMO lets-talk-about-it crap that drove him nuts. Sam was too wrapped up in his own ball of turmoil to push anymore right now and sat staring stonily out the window. Dean just wanted to get away, find a bar and drown himself in whiskey until all he could remember of the last couple days were some sparkling vampires and a big-ass bonfire. And maybe, if he got drunk enough, he'd drown himself in a woman. Someone short and blond and cheap who prattled on about her manicure or her hair-dresser or whatever else stupid mundane thing that the women he chased after talked about.

Someone who was miles from the Indian Princess who fought like an animal whether she was on four legs or not. Miles from the dark haired beauty that understood him better in two short days than many people who've known him for years have. Someone to lose himself in for a few hours in a weak attempt for some relief.

Because Hell was smiling at him.

And he was afraid.

A/N: And that's the end of this story. What a rides it's been and I hope that all of you who have stuck with me and encouraged me have enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed creating it. A special treat in the form of an Epilogue is right on the tail of this – should be ready for tomorrow. You guys have been awesome and I can't say that enough!!


	25. Epilogue

Disclaimer: See all previous. Nothing's changed.

Epilogue:

Caleb walked to the beach, leaving his rental car in the dirt parking lot near the path to the ocean. He hated the ocean. There were too many bad memories in his past that he associated with it but this is where she told him to meet her and she had outright refused to do this elsewhere. For Dean, he would swallow his phobias for a while to get what may save his friend.

He could see her, right where she said she'd be – next to a sun-bleached driftwood tree. The book he was here for was resting on the wood. He was surprised at her appearance. Tall and lean muscled, not the soft, petite type women his best friend usually sought for company. She was kind of a tomboy if he'd label her as anything with her short wild hair and baggy t-shirt. But when she looked up at his approach, he could see what it was that attracted Deuce to her.

She was beautiful in a wild and free sort of way. Earthily breathtaking, like a glacial lake. She stood there with a quiet challenge in her stance and there was a fire in her hard eyes that burned hot and fierce. Caleb was a firm believer that the eyes were windows to the soul and with eyes like that; there was nothing that was going to stand in her way without her trying to mow it down. She was strength and determination and Caleb understood Dean's captivation with her. A woman like this didn't come into your life every day. Leah was a force of nature not to be taken lightly.

The psychic reached out with his mind to read her as he walked casually over the surf rounded stones on the beach. Her mind was as sharp and fierce as the rest of her, and it was centered on helping Dean in any way she could because she cared about him. She was wary of Caleb – but that didn't surprise him. All she knew of him was that he was the hunter friend of Dean's who would have killed them all if Sam had died in that fight. He could see her trembling slightly, and he knew it wasn't in fear. She was stressed and angry and sad and all these things were raging inside her and threatened to get out of control. He hoped she didn't phase right there in front of him. He didn't want to have to defend himself from her because of how much she obviously meant to Deuce.

"Hello Leah," he said casually as he drew nearer. "It's nice to meet you." The surf was pounding to his left and it was all he could do to block it out.

She nodded. "Thank you for contacting me."

Sam had called Caleb after Dean drank himself into oblivion the night they fled Forks. It wasn't unusual for Deuce to tie one on in search of an escape, but the guy had put himself into an all day stupor – at least when his head wasn't buried in the can anyways. That was another day wasted and there weren't many left for Dean so Caleb was willing to grasp at any straws dangled in front of him like a carrot on a fucking stick. Sam had told him about the Quileute lore books Leah had mentioned to them and that was all Caleb needed to track her down in the phone book.

"Is that the book?" He gestured towards the old hand-bound leather tome on the driftwood tree.

"Yes." She picked it up and held it to her chest for a minute before handing it over to him. "I was looking at it earlier. There are some ancient chants in there, and some old magic. I think they may help him find the demon. There's even a mention of a demon named Vehpotse which loosely translates to Lily. I don't know if that is any help in finding this Lilith, but…"

"It's wonderful. Thank you Leah." He held the book carefully in one hand looking over the rough leather covering. "Did you manage to convince the Elders for their permission for us to use it?" Caleb asked as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"No. They wouldn't. So I took it." She looked down at the ground as she said it as if she were ashamed of what she'd done. She'd stolen from her tribe – true – but not for personal or monetary gain. It was to save a good man's life. Not that she fully understood the depth of the whole situation. As far as he could read on her mind, there was some connection to the demon Lilith and Dean's dying and for that alone she was going to do what she could to help him.

Caleb understood why Dean admired her.

"Try to get that back to me someday," she looked up from the ground, "…Okay?"

"I'll have it back to you in a few weeks. I'll hand deliver it."

"No offence… But I'd rather Dean bring it back."

Caleb smiled at that. "No offence taken. I'd rather he deliver it too." She bit her bottom lip, gave a short nod and turned and walked away down the beach without saying another word.

Caleb watched for a moment before turning back for the path he'd walked down. There wasn't a whole hell of a lot of time left to squander. He had to get back to Port Angeles, return the rental car at the small airstrip and catch his flight back to Seattle. From there it was off to South Dakota and Bobby's. If anyone was going to make any sense out of this book it would be him. Bobby was really excited about the book when Caleb told him he was coming here to get it – said that he'd never gotten his hands on this kind of Native Lore but that there was lots of stories and legends about it. And Caleb couldn't squash the faint glimmer of hope that flared to life when Leah had mentioned a demon named Lily. Coincidences didn't happen in their line of work.

He reached the car and flipped carefully though the rough pages. He didn't understand any of it but was confident that Bobby would. Or at least he and Sam would have their hands full translating it. He stopped at a page halfway though the tome, lifting the rough page and leaning in close to study the drawing. It was a ceremonial blade of some sort. He couldn't read the text that was handwritten underneath it but something was pulling him towards the picture and no good hunter ignores a gut feeling.

He pulled his cell out of his pocket and called Sam. The kid answered on the second ring. "Dude." He said in lieu of a greeting. "Tell me what that demon bitch Ruby's knife looks like again."

"_Serrated blade, some sort of antler for a handle. Why?"_

Caleb nodded to himself as he studied the drawing in his lap. Yup. There were no such things as coincidences in this line of work.

.~.~.~.~.~.

Three weeks later:

Leah was lying down on her bed in her room staring at the ceiling. She had her dad's old Pink Floyd CD playing and she was trying to find some peace. Her stomach had been killing her for days. Just a lump of worry and angst in the pit of her stomach that had a name she wouldn't – _couldn't_ – voice. It was eating her from the inside out and the mellow tunes of Roger Waters were doing absolutely nothing for her right now. She wouldn't be surprised if she were giving herself an ulcer – the last couple weeks had been really rough on her emotionally and physically.

She tried to concentrate on the lyrics of 'Comfortably Numb' even going so far as to answer the questions.

'_Hello, hello…_

_Hello?_

'…_hello. Is there anybody in there?'_

_No. No there isn't_.

'_Just nod if you can hear me.'_

_If you can't see me, how will you see me nodding?_

'_Is there anyone home?'_

_No. Leah isn't home right now. Please leave a message and she'll call you back when she gives a fuck._

'_I hear you're feeling down_.'

_Ya think?_

'_I can ease your pain, get you on your feet again.'_

_If it involves booze, I already cleaned out mom's liquor cabinet last week and she's going to be pissed at me when she finds out_.

The house was empty thankfully. No one at home to witness her wallowing. Just the ball of worry and angst that had taken up residence in her stomach. The same ball of wretchedness that kept her up at night and whispered in the dark. Burning, tearing and eating her from the inside out. She half expected it to burst through her chest like the alien babies in the old Sigourney Weaver movies.

So she didn't pay too much attention to the crunching of gravel out in the driveway. It wasn't until a moment later when she realized that her mom hadn't come in from the car and Leah wondered if her mother needed help bringing in groceries or something. She didn't feel like being helpful at the moment, but it would just be easier to go and help her mother than to listen to her harp at her for it later.

Dragging her feet as she walked, she headed down the hall to the kitchen and out the door. She glanced up when she saw that it wasn't her mom's Buick in the yard, but an ancient, primer riddled Chevelle. She didn't know this car, and she certainly didn't know the older, gruff looking man that got out of it. He was wearing a grease smeared vest and a dirty trucker hat, sporting a grizzled beard and eyes that looked as if he'd seen all the pain in the world and had somehow survived to tell the tale.

But it was the way he looked at her – like he knew her and knew what she was that sent shivers of alarm skirting down her spine. He knew… but wasn't afraid. That thought sent the ball of darkness in her chest into a frenzy because anyone who knew what she was should run in fear but there was no fear in this man.

Just unbearable sadness that radiated out from him in tsunami-like waves that broke on her like the rocks on the beach.

She didn't know what to say to this man, to ask who he was or what he wanted – she just stared into those tortured eyes. Eyes that had seen entirely too much pain.

It was when he leaned back into the car and stood back up with a book – the tribal book that she stole – that she got it.

She. Fucking. Got it.

And the ball in her chest burst through as she grabbed the railing on the step when her knees buckled.

_He's gone_.

A/N: Vehpotse isn't a Quileute word. It's Cherokee and it really means flower (that's what the on-line translator I used gave me so that's all I can go on. Take it with a grain of salt.) And Lord knows what language Bobby was chanting in in 'No Rest for the Wicked' when they were trying to locate Lilith. It was probably Latin, but it could have been Quileute. Vehpotse could be the name that Bobby was looking for because 'with the right name and the right ritual, there ain't nothin' you can't suss out.'

Again, thanks to all of you who made this experience so wonderful for me and I hope to see you all again in my next story.


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